To Be Like Him
by Toto Yoshio
Summary: Gaara is trying to live his life like his friend Naruto.He falls in love with his student, while also taking a young orphan under his wing making him his protege. However there is someone who is jealous of his positon, who could it be?
1. Chapter 1: Precious

To be Like him

Well I worked hard on this fanfiction for hours and I hope you like it. It's about Gaara one of my favorite anime characters of all time.

Chapter 1: Precious

The Village Hidden in the Sand, also known as Sunagakure, one of the five great nations had finally retrieved their Kazekage. Several days after his kidnapping by the Akatsuki the village had been in turmoil, the council was already deciding on replacing Gaara and find the sixth Kazekage. Kankuro was slowly healing from his encounter with Sasori of the red sand. They had requested help from the Konoha shinobi, also known as the Leaf Village, to retrieve their own Leader. However all of that was over, Gaara had been back for several weeks and he is now working on strengthening alliances with other villages; all the while taking care of important paperwork in his office.

"Damn I'm way behind, I need to finish up I have a meeting in an hour," he said to himself with his the usual calm look on his face.

Suddenly he heard a knock on his office door. Gaara really wasn't in the mood for visitors but then again he knew it could be something important he needed to address.

"Come in," Gaara said in calm relaxing voice.

Slowly the door opened as two people entered.

"Oh Temari, Kankuro it's you" he said as he dropped his pen in a surprise.

Gaara wasn't use to his sister or brother knocking, they usually just barged in when they felt like it.

Temari smiled, "What's wrong you don't seem too happy to see us," she said as she grabbed a chair and pulled it up to his desk.

"No it's not that I'm just not used to you two knocking before entering," he replied in a reassuring manner.

Kankuro leaned against the office wall making his self-comfortable.

"Well little brother, we wanted to give you some privacy so you can get back to work and stay focused on your job at hand," he started, "But you've only been back for a month so Temari and I decided to come and check on you."

Gaara's lips curved up into a small smile of gratitude.

His blonde sister looked at him then asked, "So how are you little brother? You've been very quiet ever since your return a month ago," worry was evident on her face.

Gaara put his head down searching for an answer to get his siblings off his back. He knew he had been busy, but not to the point where he couldn't check in with his family. The red head always isolated himself from people including his siblings, but not to this extent. Trying to think of a believable excuse his blue eyes shifted all around the room trying to come up with a good explanation to satisfy them.

Elbows on the desk his fist rest underneath his chin as he stared at them and said, "I'm fine, sorry I've just been so busy with work that I have lost track of time."

She looked at him with disbelief but decided not to ask again, "Okay then just checking in on you." She leaned forward in her chair with a little grin on her face. "Well, have you figured out what you're going to do about the meeting?" she asked curiously.

"Yes that's all taken care of," Gaara answered with an irritated tone.

"Is that right?" she mused, "Well Gaara, I'm going to have to cut this visit short if you want me to take care of that A-rank mission you assigned me." She stood up and started walking towards the door but before she could walk out Gaara's voice stopped her.

"Thanks Temari I'll be sure to keep in contact with you."

The blonde smirked replying, "You better…we live in the same damn house," she walked out. Before she took two steps away from his office she realized she forgot something. So she poked her head back in the room to speak "Gaara?"

He looked up with curiosity on his face.

"Matsuri said you're supposed to train with her later on tonight at sunset, so don't forget,"She smiled and made her final exit.

Gaara's eyes widened because he had forgotten.

Kankuro smiled at his little brother chuckling at him,"Don't tell me you forgot."

"Yeah it seems I need to get my priorities straight," the red head replied slowly rubbing his head in frustration.

Kankuro moved over to sit in the chair his older sister occupied previously. As he sat down he looked at his brother with interest and asked, "What's going on with you and that Matsuri girl anyways, she looks good don't you think?"

Gaara looked at his brother with narrow eyes, "What are you talking about?"

"Well I couldn't help but notice the amount of time you spend with her and the fact that she's always asking about you," Kankuro shrugged like it was no big deal.

Gaara looked at him with his usual calm emotionless face answering him, "Matsuri is my pupil nothing more nothing less."

The puppet master grinned, "Right." Leaning back in his chair hands behind his head staring at the ceiling.

"Besides," Gaara continued in an undertone, "I'm not the right kind of guy for a relationship anyway."

Kankuro couldn't stand to see his little brother looking like that, especially knowing how far he had come from the…thing he used to be. Kankuro stared at his little brother and began to think back to the words his brother spoke during their conversation three years ago.

**Flashback (two years ago)**

"Gaara you know how they see you, you're a weapon of terror," said Kankuro, "Joining the troops won't be an easy task. Many of the jonin think poorly of you and besides there still many villagers that are terrified of you."

Gaara was quiet for a moment and then sighed, "I know that already, but doing nothing will certainly bring greater pain."

Kankuro stared in wonder at what his brother was saying.

"I must clear my own path… and perhaps then the day will come when I can be like him," Gaara said in a peaceful way.

"Gaara?" Kankuro gasped still surprised by his brother words.

"I want to be part of this village so I'm aiming for the title of Kazekage. As a shinobi of the Sand Village I will work hard to connect to the people of this village. Watching Naruto Uzumaki has given me clarity. Before I met him…my ties to others only brought pain and sorrow," he said with hurt in his voice, "He pushed me to redefine those ties and I think I finally understand the suffering and sadness of life and the joy. Naruto is the whole reason my eyes are opened, when we fought we connected and he knows the same pain I do. He taught me that I can change the path and my life."

Kankuro held his breath.

"One day Kankuro I would like to become something precious to others instead of viewed as some hideous weapon," He turned and looked at his older brother and finished, "As the Sand's next Kazekage."

**Flashback ends**

Kankuro stopped reminiscing and looked back at his brother. Gaara still had that same sad expression on his face, the one that said he wasn't important or, as he put it, precious to anyone.

The brown haired puppet master stood up and walked around the desk placing his hand on Gaara's shoulder smiling, "You haven't forgotten those words you said to me three years ago? Have you?"

Gaara's eyes opened widen is shock, "Naruto Uzumaki." The Kazekage had been so busy since he was rescued from the Akatsuki, his mind had been filled with many thoughts especially since he lost his shukaku. He didn't know if he was still strong enough to protect the village. But now he had time to think while talking with his big brother.

"That's right you haven't forgotten your quest, have you?" Kankuro smiled seeing the change again in Gaara's face.

Gaara opened his mouth to speak, "To be like him."

Kankuro removed his hand from Gaara's shoulder and began to take his leave so his brother could finish his work.

As he was walking he stopped and turned to look back at the fifth Kazekage, his little brother then he spoke, "Gaara, I can't speak for the rest of the village," he paused for a second as he turned to look at him, "But to Temari and I you will always be precious."

He walked out the room to leave Gaara to his work. Gaara smiled as he stood up from his chair and turned to walk over the window facing the village. He stared outside the window looking and the men, women, and children whose lives were in his hands. As he looked he saw women hanging clothes outside, men doing the physical labor like lawn work or repairing anything that was broken. Last thing he noticed was children having fun running around. Watching them play soccer, tag, and jump rope made him think back to his lonely childhood. But it didn't bring him pain looking back on those memories. It actually made him curious about what he can do for his village instead of being cooped up in this office all day.

After he stopped his thinking, he decided to get some air by leaving his office. As he began to walk towards the door he was stopped by his former teacher and sensei.

"Gaara I need to talk to you," Baki said as he entered the office room, "Now about this meeting I need you to…"

Before Baki could finish Gaara interrupted him, "Sorry I won't be able to make it I have more important matters to tend to."

Baki looked at him with shock on his face and said, "Gaara you need to be at this council meeting so we can discuss our village's problems not to mention the matter of the Akatsuki."

Gaara gave him an annoyed look as he walked around him exiting the room going down the hallway, "I decided to take a walk around the village and after that I have a training session with Matsuri."

Baki looked at him with disbelief as he followed the Kazekage down the hallway,"That's what you have to do?"

As they talked Gaara made a left into a room which had all the weapons used by the sand siblings.

"Don't worry I've got it all taken care of," he said reassuring his former sensei he has nothing to worry about.

In the room you can see on the top shelf a box full of kunai and shuriken. Next to that was a box of paper and smoke bombs.Below that in the bottom of the closet were Kankuro puppets: Crow, Black Ant, and Salamander. Outside of closet to the far left was Temari's steel fan. All the way in the back of the room in plain sight was Gaara's gourd which contained his sand. The Kazekage walked over to the back of the room to grab his gourd.

While fastening his gourd to his back he said, "Baki I want you to contact Temari and Kankuro and tell them to fill in for me at my council meeting."

"What?" Baki shook his head so fast his turban almost fell off as Gaara walked out the room and headed down the stairs.

He turned around stopped to reply, "Baki I need to connect with the people, so they can trust me as their leader because without trust we have nothing," he said with a confident voice.

Baki stopped for a second to think about the situation. He really didn't want to do this but he trusted his former pupil. He nodded and said, "All right Gaara, I'll have Kankuro or Temari give you a full report on the meeting tomorrow."

Gaara nodded back and walk down the stairs into the lobby. Luckily it was already evening and the sun was going down so no one could bug him as he walked. As he walked out the door and began his go around the village he saw the same kids playing soccer. Gaara looked on with a question mark floating over his head. Suddenly he noticed a ball flying towards him at an alarming speed. He quickly used his sand to defend as the ball smashed against the sand and fell to the floor at Gaara's feet. He knelt down to pick up the ball when a little girl came running towards him. She stared at him for a moment as held the ball in his hands. She recognized him from somewhere then all of a sudden a huge smile came across her face as she realized who he was.

"You're the Kazekage!" she yelled in a happy voice.

The red head had a small grin on his face as he handed the ball to the little blonde girl.

"I want you kids to be careful out here it's getting late you should head home soon so your parents don't have to worry," he told her smiling slightly.

The young girl smiled with excitement, "Okay, but Mr. Kazekage could you join us?"

He stared at the girl with shock and confusion on his face. As a child he always played by himself. Whenever he asked to play with the other children they would run away in fear as if he was going to murder them in cold blood. It was such a weird feeling he was experiencing, the warmth of acceptance. The Kazekage knelt down to put his hand on the little girls blond hair as he tried his best to create which turned out to be a small grin.

"Call me Gaara and sure I've got some time," As he laid his gourd down on the floor.

Later on when he finished playing with the kids, he found that he had wondered off in the southern part of the village near the entrance. Many of the homes were smaller and kind of damaged, they seemed to be older then the houses near the center where Gaara lived. But he paid it no mind as he looked at a clock on the nearest building.

"Hmm I got twenty minutes till I have to meet Matsuri at the training grounds, I better get going."

He turned around and began walking back but before he could even take five steps he noticed something. To his left there was a boy near behind a tree hunched over breathing hard. He saw three dummies impaled with shuriken and kunai knives pinned on red targets. Gaara knew the boy was training; he could see the sweat dripping down his face all over the floor. He walked closer to observe the boy more closely. The boy looked like he was about eleven years old with spiky black hair and light green eyes. Those eyes Gaara thought to himself he had seen them somewhere before. Gaara folded his arms while he stood in his normal relaxed pose.

_I use to have the same eyes as him,_Gaara thought to himself as he kept staring intently at the young green eyed boy. Slowly he started walking towards the boy as he continued to observe, _the eyes of loneliness, the ones that say you want to prove your existence to the whole world_.

The boy noticed Gaara presence and immediately grabbed one of his kunai to defend himself, however the stance didn't faze the red head at all, he just kept walking toward the young boy until he got within five feet of him then he stopped.

"I see you haven't dropped your guard, that's good," the Kazekage said slowly as he approached.

The boy looked at Gaara up and down; he could tell by his presence that he was someone of importance.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked in a frustrating tone.

Before answering his question Gaara began to think of what he should do with green eyed kid. The boy raised many questions in his head. When he finally stopped contemplating he looked at the boy and answered him.

"I am Gaara … Gaara of the Desert."

well that was my first fanfiction I hope you guys enjoyed it!

stay posted for chapter 2.


	2. Chapter 2 : Existence

Chapter 2: existence

Outside it was almost dark, with the wind blowing a nice cool breeze through the trees. The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The sun was beginning to set as the village began to wind down, however not everyone was packing it in for the night. The young green eyed boy stared at Gaara in shock.

"Your Gaara… that means you're the Kazekage," he said wondering what the leader of the village would be doing wandering around one of the worst places in the village.

Gaara looked at him with interest answering, "Yes I am, but you haven't told me what your name is?"

The boy looked tired as he leaned back against the wall, and then dropped his kunai to the floor. He decided he could drop his guard when he found out who was standing before him.

"My name is Amon," the boy said in a calm respectful voice.

Nervously he sat down and began to stare at his feet not knowing what to say or do. Amon wasn't scared because he's not that kind of kid, but he was nervous because how often does a kid like him gets a chance to speak to the Kazekage.

"I see … so Amon why are you out here training so late?" Gaara broke his chain of thought.

Amon froze for a second trying to think of what to say then he let out a little nervous chuckle, "Well I'm trying to train for the upcoming chunin exams. I need to get stronger."

Gaara looked at the mess around him; so many ninja tools lying on the ground. He was surprised the boy would be training so hard with exams still so far away. Shuriken everywhere as well as kunai and if you look closely you could see destroyed pieces of rock about 30 feet away from their position. This means he had also been using paper bombs to train with.

"Impressive but where are all your friends?" Gaara said with curiosity.

Amon looked the blue eyed red head in the eyes and said "I don't have any." He honestly didn't mind being by his self.

"Why is that?" Gaara answered quickly as he sat down next to the boy.

"Well I'm an orphan so it's always been kind of hard for me to make friends but who needs friends anyway," The boy stood up with anger.

"Who needs friends, when strength is the only thing that matters in this world? And with my strength I will prove to the world my existence!" Amon said with determination, "I'll crush anyone who gets in my way" he finished determined. If they had met three years ago you could say Amon was having a Gaara moment. "I'll show them all I will become one of the sand's strongest shinobi," the young orphan balled his right hand into a fist then pointed his opposite hand to the sky. "Once I become Kazekage that is," he finished with a huge Naruto smile.

When Amon finished Gaara just sat there with a blank face for about a minute. It was like he was looking at his old self; except for the fact that this kid didn't kill for pleasure like he used to. Actually, Amon reminded him more of Naruto Uzumaki, except this kid had better manners of course.

Finally the Kazekage decided to break the silence "Amon how old are you?"

The black haired kid looked at him after he settled down he replied, "I'm 12," he said as he slowly sat down again.

Interesting enough he was the same age Gaara was when he met Naruto. During that time Gaara didn't think much of Naruto till they fought at the Chunin Exams.

Flashback (Chunin Exams)

The person Gaara had his eye on was Saskue Uchia, the famed rookie ninja. He thought by killing such a strong opponent he can truly feel alive. However, Saskue couldn't handle Gaara in his true form so he ended up fighting against Naruto. After Naruto defeated him they both lied on the floor exhausted in the forest of the Leaf Village. They both were drained of their chakra but Naruto wouldn't quit, he started dragging his body towards Gaara with determination.

The psychotic child stared at him thinking to himself what makes him so strong? I will not disappear I will not cease to exist, I won't! The 12 year old red head became flustered. The blond haired genin kept dragging himself towards him.

"Stay away!" Gaara yelled as Naruto dragged his body closer and closer.

"It's almost unbearable isn't it? The feeling of being all alone," Naruto said sadly.

Gaara's eyes widened.

"I've been there in that dark and lonely place, but now there are others, other people who mean a lot to me," He said with a small smile on his face.

"I care more about them than I do myself and I won't let anyone hurt them. That's why I will never give up… I will stop you… even if I have to kill you!" The blue eyed blond yelled with as much anger and passion he could muster.

"But why…why would you do this for anyone but yourself?" Gaara said in a clueless voice trying to understand the reasons behind Naruto's actions.

"Because they saved me from myself, they rescued me from my loneliness. They were the first to accept me for who I am," He said as kept dragging closer to Gaara determined to finish him off.

"They're my friends," Naruto said as he finished his explanation.

Gaara thought back to what his Uncle Yashamaru said when he was a he turned and stared into the sunlight surrounded by trees he saw an image of his dead uncle appear.

"Love is the desire to serve someone precious to you, to watch over them like my sister did for you Gaara," Yashamaru's illusion said as it vanished from Gaara's sight.

"Love… is that the thing that makes him so strong?" Gaara asked himself.

END FLASHBACK

Once Gaara remembered that he knew he wanted to help the young boy. He looked at the orphan standing in front of him.

There must be something I can do to prevent him from walking down the wrong path he thought.

"Amon you need more than your own strength to be strong, as weird as that may sound its true," he stated.

Amon looked back at the Kazekage in disbelief. The only people who got what they wanted were the ones who used force; well at least that's what the young orphan witnessed throughout his life.

"What else do I need?" the child asked with eager.

"Well you need..." But before Gaara could answer the Kazekage started getting this strange feeling. Suddenly he looked towards the sky and saw it was dark out. Then he started slowly to remember where he was supposed to be at this moment. "Shit," he cursed himself under his breath when he realized what he forgot. He got up quick from his seat against the broken down building.

"Damn I'm late!" he picked up his gourd and strapped it back on his back.

"Late for what?" Amon asked wondering what could be so important at this time of the night.

The Kazekage wiped the dirt off his red coat and trousers quickly. He turned to the orphan and said, "Amon I'm sorry I have a training session with a pupil and it seems I'm a bit late."

Amon put his head down between his knees with his arms folded behind his head. He frowned because he felt like Gaara was actually listening to him when no one else would. He hadn't answered his question and it desperately needed an answer. Then he realized that he was acting like a brat in front of the Kazekage; the leader of the village. Quickly he lifted up his head and put on the brightest smile he could.

"It's okay sir I know you're a very busy person," he said with deceitful grin.

However Gaara saw right through his fake smile. "Amon… you don't have to hide your emotions," the 16 year old shinobi said with comfort.

The green eyed orphan was stunned he saw threw him, and felt bad.

"I'm sorry sir I just…" Gaara quickly interrupted him to correct him.

"Call me Gaara and don't worry I understand you better than you think," he said as a small smile tried to form on his face. "

You do?" The boy asked looking in shock not expecting the Kazekage to be so nonchalant.

He had heard rumors that the fifth Kazekage was a calm and quiet man, but he also heard bad rumors from his past while listening to other kid's conversations. But seeing him now in person he realized those rumors weren't true, well at least they weren't anymore. The boy stood up to speak.

"Well thanks for talking to me sir I mean Gaara," Amon quickly corrected himself.

Gaara grinned at the boy's nervousness then replied, "Your welcome Amon, if you ever need anything don't hesitate to ask."

He unfolded his hands, and then put his right hand out to offer Amon a handshake. Amon smiled with delight as he wiped the dirt of his hands on his grey shorts and ripped shirt, then he stuck his right hand out to meet his. Their hands gripped each other in friendship, not to rough but not too soft. After they released their hands Gaara gave him nod saying good bye. He then turned around to run north towards the training grounds. Before he can get too far an idea sparked in his head. He was thinking of what Amon said about his existence. But suddenly he stopped still facing the same way, and continued his thought for a few more seconds.

Amon noticed his sudden halt in movement, Why did he stop did he drop something?

The red head soon finish his thinking. "Amon!" he yelled from about 50 feet away still facing the same direction not turning to look back at the orphan.

"Yes Gaara," he said anxiously waiting to hear what the Kazekage had to say.

"I want you to be at the Kazekage office tomorrow morning we have some things to discuss," he said in a warm relaxing tone.

Then he took off fast to get to the training grounds to see Matsuri. Before Gaara could get too far he heard he heard the orphan yell

"Yes sir I'll be there!" with excitement in the boys response.

The Kazekage grinned at the fact that young boy slipped up and called him sir again. However Gaara didn't have time to address that he needed to get to Matsuri. Gaara ran as quick as he could.

"I'm late… damn maybe I shouldn't have taken my sweet time back there."

Sweating profusely he kept running as fast as he could. Two minutes later Gaara arrived at the training grounds. He hunched over grabbing his knees and began to breathe hard.

Dammit all… when did I get out of shape? he thought while trying to stand up straight to slow down his breathing.

Walking over to brick wall he leaned against it to relax.

"Well…I guess I'm too late, she must have got frustrated and left, I'm such an idiot." He said with disappointment.

The truth of the matter is the young red head got side tracked with other things. Playing soccer with children, walking through the village, and conversing with an orphan doesn't sound like a good excuse he thought.

"Well your right about the last part!" a familiar female voice came from above.

Gaara moved from the wall to turn and look on the roof. Above him sat a girl with beautiful dark eyes, short brown hair and fair skin. The girl wore a familiar dark skirt with a flak jacket and her sand shinobi forehead protector.

"Matsuri?" Gaara said surprisingly, questioning why the girl didn't go home.

She quickly jumped down from the roof top, but landed gracefully on the soft sand showing off her perfect balance.

She looked him in the eye with a smirk and said "So what took you so long Gaara sensei?"

The red head began to say something but his beautiful pupil interrupted him.

"You had me worried for a moment I thought something might have happened to you," the tone of her voice changed to more of caring nature.

"I'm sorry Matsuri. I just had some things I needed to take care of, please forgive my tardiness," he answered solemnly.

She glared at him for five seconds with frustration written all over her body. She kept moving her heal up and down showing her teacher her frustration. Suddenly she tilted her head slightly as a smile came on her face.

"Okay," she said as if nothing ever happened.

Gaara looked at her with mild confusion then said, "Thank you," trying to show his gratitude.

He unstrapped his gourd from the front of his vest, and then placed it on the ground. After that he stood up straight looking at his brown haired student with his expressionless face and arms folded in his usual stance.

Calmly he asked, "Shall we begin?"

Matsuri looked at him with disappointment. The fact is she had been waiting for about an hour and she already begun to train without him. First she warmed up an hour before they were supposed to begin by stretching her body and meditating. After that she worked on her ninjutsu for a while, learning new ways to manipulate her chakra. When she was done with her ninjutsu, her best friend Sari came by and they had a sparring session.

She explained this to her teacher hoping he would be able to understand the situation, since he was the one who was late. Even though she was exhausted the true reason Matsuri didn't want to train was so her and Gaara could spend some alone time together that didn't involve a whole lot of movement. Unless of course it was a sweaty activity that ended with pleasure radiating from both of their bodies. The brown haired genin blushed at the thought of them being that intimate with each other. She has actually had a crush on her him for quite some time and she had been waiting for the right moment to share these feeling with her crush. Every ninja who was around the age range of Matsuri knew of her feelings. Hell even Temari and Kankuro new, but their blind little brother had no clue. She loved everything about him from his calm cool exterior to his spiky red hair. She also loved the tone of his deep voice when he talked to her, it always made her knees shake.

Gaara nodded and said, "Very well then why don't we just relax and take it easy today, besides I want to talk to you about something anyway."

Matsuri opened her eyes in surprise as she began to smile brightly, does he want to talk about taking their friendship a bit further? Then she shook her head trying to snap herself out of it. As much as she would like that she was sure that's not what he wanted to talk about.

"Follow me," he said casually as he turned around and began walking in the opposite direction.

So she did still wondering where he would be taking her. About a minute later they ended up in a familiar she looked around at her surroundings and was shocked that he brought her this place.

With her mouth open wide she said, "Gaara-sensei, this is the place you gave me my first training session? You showed me how to use a javelin."

Gaara looked at her then nodded slowly, "That is correct."

"What are we doing here?" she asked trying to understand the situation.

Gaara looked up at the moon and gazed at it for a moment. He always loved full moons they made him feel good, they were peaceful to him. Still staring at the moon he answered her question, "I brought you here because I thought it would be the perfect place for us to talk."

Matsuri noticed her sensei always like to stare at the moon when it's full even before he became the Kazekage. She smiled at the fact she got to see leader of the village and her crush in such peaceful way.

"The moon its beautiful tonight isn't it?" she said trying to start some conversation.

"Yes it is," he replied turning to focus his attention on his student.

Matsuri was tired so she sat down and leaned her back against one of the stone wall behind her. She had been training for hours so she wanted to get off her feet for a little bit.

"Gaara-sensei you said you had something important you wanted to talk to me about right?"

The Kazekage looked down at her with a serious look on his face "Yes I do'" he replied slowly.

Matsuri looked at him with her dark alluring eyes. She was trying to think of a way to get him closer. Suddenly a light bulb went ding above her head, she had an idea. As she continued staring at him she opened her mouth to suggest something.

"Okay sensei but before we get started you should sit down and relax," she said in an innocent voice as she patted her hand on the spot next to her.

Gaara stared at Matsuri with suspicion on his face but decided there could be no harm in sitting next to her. So he turned his body around and slowly sat down next to brown haired girl.

"You comfortable?" she asked feeling accomplished by getting him to sit next to her.

Wasting no time Gaara started to speak his mind, "Matsuri how has your solo training been going?" he asked knowing that he's been too busy to train with her on a regular basis.

Actually the Kazekage has been too busy to train with her since he got back from a month ago. This has been their first session in about two months but he promised her a week after he got back that they would train today.

Matsuri replied, "It's been going. Well my taijutsu has gotten better and my medical ninjutsu has also improved," she said with satisfaction.

He grinned at her progress, "Good because I want you to be ready for the Chunin Exams in 5 months," he said slowly.

She looked at him with shock then replied, "Gaara-sensei are you serious?" She was surprised in his confidence in her.

"Of course you've gotten much stronger in the past two years, besides you're a year older than me it's time you took the test," He told her nonchalantly.

Matsuri looked away and stared at the ground with uncertainty. She knew her skills had improved but she couldn't help but think I could be so much stronger. Gaara's right I'm fucking 17 and I'm still a genin, she thought to herself.

As she stared at ground in despair she felt a hand slowly rest on her shoulder. She lifted her head up in surprise and saw her teacher looking at her with a grin on his face.

"I have nothing but faith in you Matsuri I know you will succeed."

At that moment the brown haired girl felt overwhelmed with emotions. She felt so happy by what her teacher had said. He was the only man who gave her such confidence and energy. Before she knew what she was doing she lunged over to hug him.

Gaara gave her a look that said "what the hell are you doing woman?" but she paid it no mind as she wrapped arms around him gently. The red head just sat there not moving a muscle. He was kind of uncomfortable, but at the same time it felt kind of good, because he was not use to this type of affection. As she started to squeeze him tighter he could feel her body rubbing against his. Her scent was strong but it smelt good like peaches, he thought to himself. His heart began to beat a little faster as each moment passed. His stomach started getting this warm feeling that was obviously foreign to the sand shinobi. Gaara decided to saysomething, so the situation wouldn't get to awkward.

"You don't have to call me sensei anymore," Gaara said in a relaxed tone.

When Matsuri heard him say that, she slowly released her hands from around him, "Why not?"

Slowly he began to fix his vest, running his hands threw his clothes like an iron. His clothes had gotten wrinkled from that hug he had received.

"We are no longer teacher and student," he said calmly, "You may still be a genin but you have the strength of a chunin, we are now equals."

The genin gave him a puzzled look then faced her head towards the ground again, she was lost for words. Truthfully she didn't know how to feel about what he said. She was happy that he acknowledged her skills, but at the same time she couldn't help but feel a little sad that she wouldn't be able to spend time with guy she had feelings for. She turned her head to the left to look a thim. She stared at him with those intense dark eyes of hers.

"So what do I call you then?" she asked in a low voice almost mumbling the words.

Gaara raised his head up to look at the full moon again. He stared for a moment then closed his eyes to breathe in the cold desert air. Then he opened his eyes and exhaled, "Gaara will do," he replied slowly.

Matsuri nodded slowly then asked another question, "Will you still train me every now then?" she asked with hope in her eyes.

"Yes I'll train with you once a week, until the Chunin Exams so you'll have new jutsu to use in the exam finals," he replied while also giving her his reason.

Matsuri wanted to jump out of her skin with excitement but she didn't want to look foolish in front of the guy she had her eyes on. She rubbed her hands together in excitement with a huge smile on her face.

I can't wait! Maybe I can get to know him in other ways, she thought as perverted images crossed her mine. After she was done with her thoughts she turned to look at him. "So we're still friends Gaara?" she said as she inched over close to him.

Gaara stared at her with complete and utter confusion. Friend, he thought to himself still not fully use to the word. He never new she thought of him in that manner. To him he thought they were just teacher and student, no more no less. The young man felt that warm feeling he had felt a couple minutes ago. His heart began to beat faster as he started to become nervous. Slowly he turned his face away from her towards the moon so he could calm down. Finally his heart seemed the slow down a bit.

"Of course," he replied trying to sound as calm as possible.

Matsuri giggled at her former teacher noticing how uncomfortable he thought it was cute to see the legendary Gaara of the desert, the village's Kazekage so nervous. She started to wonder to herself has he ever been this close to a girl.

She looked at her calm leader and asked, "Have you ever been out with girl, Lord Kazekage?" As she asked as she scooted even closer to him.

His cheeks turned red and his blue eyes started wondering in all directions trying not to look at the girl.

"Uhh…no I haven't," he replied slowly while his head with embarrassment.

Then suddenly he thought back to what his brother said earlier about Matsuri and him. Could Kankuro have be right? He thought to himself. As much as he hated to admit he knew there was strong chance she did like him. A lot of young girls have taken a liking to him since he became the Kazekage, but Matsuri has been the only one who had been nice to him when decided to change his lifestyle three years ago. Unfortunately, too much time had already passed and Gaara needed to get some rest for his busy day tomorrow so he couldn't ask the questions he desired.

"I think it's time we head home; a young girl shouldn't be out this late even if she is a kunoichi," he said softly with a small grin as he slowly stood up.

Then he reached his hand out in offer to help out. The young girl blushed at his gesture nodding her head while giving him her hand. Gaara quickly pulled her up using too much strengthnot knowing she was that light causing her body to fly right into his. Next thing he knew his right arm was wrapped around her lower back. Her left hand gently resting on the left side of his chest as she slowly looked up at him. Their bodies tight against each other, both of their eyes meeting one another in a mesmerizing gaze. Matsuri's face turned the color of a cherry. She always dreamed of being in his arms but she never thought it would happen this soon. I can't believe he's holding me what do I do? she thought to herself.

On the other hand Gaara's body began to go through the same process it did before. He can feel his heart beating even faster than it did before. That warm feeling in his stomach appeared, he even began to grow a little in his pants which was rare for Gaara since he never really went looked at woman in a perverted manner. What the hell is going on what's happening to me? he thought to himself, still gazing into her beautiful black eyes.

Matsuri on the other had slowly begun to lean her head in for kiss. What…what the hell is she doing? he thought franticly. The red head new he enjoyed the close body contact, but he also knew as the Kazekage it was inappropriate. But most of all he was…scared? Finally he managed to calm himself down to address the situation. He didn't want to just break away from her and run off because that would obviously hurt her feelings.

Luckily he was used to being around sister who happened to be an emotional woman behind her tough exterior. So he decided to take a more gentle approach. Gaara lifted his right hand that was resting on her lower back and placed it on the back of her head touching her short brown hair. Slowly he began to caress her thin hair.

"Matsuri," he whispered in a soft caring voice which caught her off guard.

Her lips froze right before reaching his, but still she didn't move. She wanted to stay as close to his lips as possible, so she could follow through with her previous intentions as soon as he finished talking.

"Yes Gaara?" she asked as she began to rub her smooth hands on his chest slowly.

He took a deep breath to inhale the cold crisp air so he could relax as the girl kept moving her hands up and down his slim yet muscular frame. Slowly he exhaled through his nose, while still stroking her hair then he opened his mouth to speak.

"Matsuri I'm sorry but we can't," he said softly feeling a small…ache in his chest.

His words caught her off guard. She thought they were going to share a romantic kiss and perhaps he would carry her to his mansion to make her feel like a woman. After hearing this she moved her lips away from his, but their bodies still against one another.

"As much as I wouldn't mind…I can't" he said painfully, "If I could I would however…"

She was still in shock, her whole body seemed frozen in place, but her eyes were wide open.

"Please understand," he said then he removed his hand from her hair then placed it lightly on her shoulder, "Again I'm sorry," the blue eyed teen repeated to reassure his sympathy.

Then he removed his hand from her shoulder and proceeded walking over to the right side of the building where his gourd was. He knelt down to pick it up then quickly strapped it on. Matsuri was still trying to process everything that was going on. First they were talking, then they were holding each other about to kiss, And now? she thought to herself. What the hell happened? I was so close to showing him how I felt… her thoughts continued. The brown haired girl snapped out of her reverie to see her crush walking towards his home.

"Gaara wait!" she yelled abruptly.

He stopped for a minute, and then turned his head slightly to the right looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

Before she can even begin to speak he said "I have to go farewell."

His body started slowly disintegrating into sand. Before he could fully disolve into sand he gave her a friendly smile that said good bye as he blew away in to the night. Matsuri watched the sand heading towards the Kazekage mansion.

She stood there by herself not knowing what to do. She had just missed the best opportunity to let him know how she felt. She dug her hand into her left pocket then pulled out the rope-javelin Gaara had given her the day they first became student and sensei. The dark eyed girl stared at it with intensity then she quickly gripped it making wooden handle whine in protest. A small smile formed on her face, as she looked up at the moon. "I'm not done with you yet… Gaara-sensei!" she softly swore to herself before heading home for the night.


	3. Chapter 3: Changes

So far I"ve introduced the main characters in this story. Chapter 3 doesn't have much excitement but does show you the Kazekage's plans for the young orphan. enjoy :)

Chapter 3: Changes

Early in the morning you can see the sun rise bright in Sunagakure. It was a beautiful day and the village was very much alive. Farmers were picking crops, women outside hanging their clothes outside on clothing pens, and the kids were running around full of energy. But inside the Kazekage office building it was actually quiet and peaceful which was rare. There weren't a whole bunch of people going in and out of the Kazekage office, bugging him asking questions about the village's financial issues, or anything else for the matter. Fortunately Gaara had some peace because he need sometime alone after last night's events. He was in his office working on paperwork, but couldn't keep his mind focused on his tasks.

_Damn it she keeps popping up in my head_, he thought to himself.

For some reason he couldn't get Matsuri off his mind, no matter how hard he tried. The events of last night kept reoccurring in his head over and over again. Then if you consider the fact that the red head was barely getting use to sleeping for the past month didn't make it easier. Since the Kazekage didn't have his shukaku anymore he was able to sleep peacefully. All he ended up doing when he got home last night was stare at the moon, and think about her face and her scent.

"She smelled like peaches" he whispered to himself slowly.

Finally someone knocked on his door interrupting his thoughts.

"Can I come in?" he heard a familiar female voice behind the door.

_Thank god,_ Gaara thought to himself as he eased back in his chair. Now he can finally get his mind off of her for a minute.

"Come on in Temari," the Kazekage said calmly trying to relax before his sister entered.

She opened the door quietly then walked in, while gently closing it behind her. "I'm here to brief you on yesterday's meeting" she said while taking her seat in front of her little brother's desk.

"Very well," he replied softly while shifting his eyes from the paper works on his desk to her, she had his full attention. "But before we get too that, I need to talk to you about something," she said while glaring at him, "Why the hell did you leave Kankuro and I with your work? I mean I understand Kankuro he wasn't doing shit, but I had an important mission." she said in frustration.

Gaara looked at her and he couldn't help but smile. He even let out a little chuckle which was rare for a guy like him.

"What the hell's so funny?" she asked glaring at her little brother.

"The mission I gave you was to escort an old farmer back to the leaf village, correct?" he asked.

Temari still glaring at him, "Yeah so what are you getting at?" she replied with even greater frustration.

Gaara rested his elbows on his desk with his hands pressed together. Then he opened his mouth to say a name that was very familiar to the blonde. "Shikamaru Nara," the words slowly came from his lips.

Temari face quickly turned red with embarrassment. _How the hell did he know?_ she asked herself in her head. But she wasn't going to let him know that's why she was looking forward to her trip to Konoha.

"Now why would I be interested in such a lazy slacker?" She wanted to quickly change the subject before Gaara could continue his interrogation. "Anyway the meeting went better than expected, fellow council leaders have decided that we need to conduct a meeting with Feudal Lord."

The Kazekage nodded letting her know she could continue.

"The plan is to talk to the Feudal Lord into ceasing cuts on the village's military force. Our shinobi need better training if we want to keep up with other nations," she continued.

Gaara looked at the blonde with a blank face that said is there anything else and there was.

"Fortunately the village is doing better financially, since we started selling crops to other lands," she finished in a happy tone.

Gaara closed his eyes for a second to take everything in; he was worried about the meeting with the Feudal Lord. The red head knew how stubborn that man was.

"Good work Temari, and sorry for leaving you and Kankuro with my work."

Temari nodded then gave him a serious look letting him know there was something else they needed to discuss. She stood up from her chair then began speaking.

"Yesterday a returning unit of jonin found the body of a dead boy a chunin about 2 miles from the village's entrance, He was a ninja from our village."

The young man eyes opened wide in disbelief "What?" he asked trying to comprehend what he just heard.

"However the medical core couldn't find any source of evidence that could give us a lead on the killer."

Gaara took a deep breath showing his stress then slowly he exhaled. "Damn it all" he said with frustration.

"I don't know about you little brother, but I have a bad feeling about this."

He nodded with agreement wondering what the hell could this mean, and how was he going to deal with the situation. Slowly it felt like the problems were beginning to build pile up. Suddenly another knock came on the door._ Who could it be at a time like this time?_ Gaara thought?

"Lord Kazekage may I enter?" it was a shinobi who worked in the lobby of the building.

"Come in," Gaara said hiding his irritation. A young ninja entered the room that was probably around the age of the Kazekage.

"Forgive me my lord but there is a young boy in the lobby who said you've requested him."

The red head stared down at the papers on his desk, "I see he decided to show up after all, I thought he might change his mind."

Those words caught his sister's interest; she looked at him wondering to herself, _What is he up to?_ she thought.

Gaara said, "Send him in."

The messenger ninja left to go retrieve the young man from the lobby. Temari kept her attention on her little brother; she wanted to know exactly what he was planning.

"So Gaara… who is this young boy?" she asked with curiosity.

Gaara picked up his pen and began signing documents like he was doing previously before he got preoccupied.

"You'll know soon enough," he said as he was trying to focus on his work.

Still Temari wasn't satisfied with that answer, the nosey side of her wanted more info. So the sandy blonde haired girl decided to ask another question, "What's his name?"

Gaara started to get annoyed, but he knew there was no sense in getting irritated since she was going to continue bugging him anyways. Calmly he decided to give her a little bit of information so she would let him work.

"Temari you'll know soon enough, besides theses plans of mine will affect Kankuro and you."

After hearing that, Temari really wanted to know but she knew there was no point in asking the stubborn red head again. However she did have one last question.

"Is this going to affect us in a bad way or a good way?" She folded her arms leaning against his desk.

Gaara still staring down on his papers calmly replied, "That's up to you guys to decide."

As soon as he said that he heard a little knock on the open door. He looked up and saw Amon standing in front of the door wearing a ripped red t-shirt, some faded black shorts, anda pair of beat up ninja sandals.

"May I come in?" the young orphan asked politely.

Gaara looked at the little genin and said, "I see your manners, are as good ever… come in Amon."

So the boy walked casually into the room trying not to seem nervous. He looked around the room and noticed it was a nice office. Then he saw something in that office that really caught his attention. Suddenly his eyes focused on the blond haired green eyed Jonin. _She's pretty,_ he thought to himself.

"Temari this is Amon, Amon this is Temari" the red head said as he introduced them. His eyes shifted back on fourth between trying to think what to say from there. He decides to continue his little introduction with Temari.

"Amon… Temari is one of the strongest ninjas in the sand, and she is also my big sister," he said complimenting his sister's skills. After that, he turned to his sister to give a little information on the skinny little orphan. "Amon is an orphan from the southern part of the village, and he is a genin with great potential," he stated.

The blonde jonin turned to her brother and looked at him with a smirk. _I know what you're planning little brother_, she said to herself in her head.

She turned to 12 year old boy with a polite smile she said, "Nice to meet you Amon," as she put her hand out to form a handshake.

He smiled and reached his hand out to except her greeting. "Nice to meet you too," he said with a small grin.

"Well then I'll leave you two to talk," Temari said briefly as she began to leave the room.

She closed the door gently as she exited the room to give the two young men some privacy. Now the room was quiet for a while, Amon stood behind the desk waiting for the Kazekage to speak. The green eyed boy stood there not knowing what to do, so he began playing with his fingers. It was getting awkward and he didn't know what to do to break the silence. Finally the Kazekage opened his mouth to speak, "Take a seat."

The orphan gave him a nod that said as he sat down. Slowly Gaara dropped his pen, and put his paperwork in a cabinet underneath his desk. Taking his time to be organized he had placed all of his documents in alphabetical order. He had tabs from A to Z filled with papers. Once he was done he gently closed his cabinet shut and put his elbows on his desk with his hands held together.

"Let's get started," he said in his deep raspy voice.

The boy just sat there and nodded waiting patiently to hear what the Kazekage wanted. He was nervous he didn't know what he was going to say._I hope he's not going to make me his errand boy, _he thought.

The Kazekage opened his mouth to speak, "I asked you hear today, to see if you wanted to become my pupil," he casually stated.

Amon face froze up; he was trying to process the words he just heard. He was stunned he couldn't believe it his ears. "Did he just ask me to become his pupil?" he said to himself out loud.

Gaara heard him say those words and smiled at his reaction "Yes he did."

Amon looked at the Kazekage; a smile began to creep up on his face, "Are you serious?" he asked with excitement.

Gaara still grinning with amusement then replied, "Yes I am."

The black haired orphan tried to calm down his heart began to beat faster with adrenaline but he wasn't embarrassed. Usually Amon was a calm relaxed person who rarely got excited but this was big news to him, he was going to train with the Kazekage.

Quickly the young boy stood up and slammed his hands on his desk, "When do we start" he asked with excitement written all over his face.

Gaara looked at the boy and couldn't help but smile. That sudden burst of energy reminded him of someone.

"Now calm down Amon, that's not the only thing I wanted to tell you."

The orphan sighed then removed his hands from the table, then once again took his seat.

"There's going to be other changes to…" he added calmly.

"What other changes sir?" not noticing he called him sir again.

The spikey haired red head sighed trying to figure out how he was going to say this. He looked at the orphan who was staring down at his feet not wanting to give any eye contact.

Gaara slowly spoke, "I have on offer for you."

The orphan's head popped up with awareness, "An offer?" he questioned with uncertainty in his voice.

Gaara nodded his head slowly.

"What is it?" he asked quickly with impatience; his blood was already pumping with excitement from the last question.

Gaara closed his eyes to think about the current situation. His siblings were already suspicious about his recent change in behavior. Then there was the thing with Matsuri and he didn't know what was going on there. He didn't know what to do about what happened last night. The red head opened his with decisiveness, the focused his attention on Amon.

"How would you like to move in with my siblings and me?" he questioned.

Amon's mouth immediately opened up wide in shock, his jaw almost hit the floor.

"What?" he asked in awe of what he just heard.

The Kazekage sighed trying to be patient, "Do you want to move in with my siblings and me?" he said in a variation of his previous question.

Amon thought about it for a couple seconds, but it didn't take him to long to make up his mind. "Sure why not," he said in casual voice trying not to show his true excitement.

Everything was happening so fast it was all overwhelming but he tried his best to keep his cool. He sat back in his chair and tried to relax, so he could soak everything in.

"Good… we'll take care all of your paperwork a bit later," Gaara said staring at the boy.

Amon began was excited about these new changes, _I can finally leave that stupid orphanage._Then suddenly something began to bug the young orphan. No one ever treated him with such generosity; his whole life was filled with loneliness, hate, and betrayal. His green eyes were focused on Gaara; he was puzzled by the Kazekage's actions._No one's ever been this nice to me before,_ he thought.

The red head noticed his look of curiosity and opened his mouth to address it "What's the matter?"

Amon didn't answer his question immediately; he just sat there with nervous expression on his face. His head face toward the ground in embarrassment, with his hands in his pockets. The kid didn't know what to say, he appreciated it but at the same time he wasn't use to such hospitality.

The young green eyed boy finally got some courage he lifted his head to look him in the eyes decided to speak, "It's just I'm not use to being treated like this. Most people treat me like I'm a plague but you've nice from the first moment you met me. Not to mention that you barely met me yesterday. Why is that?" He questioned.

Gaara returned the boy's stare as he sat behind his desk with his fingers crossing one another. A small little grin formed on 16 year olds lips, as he began to wonder why he was doing all this himself. Wouldn't it be good enough just to train him every now and then? Instead he made him his pupil and decided to let the boy move in with him and his siblings.

With a small sigh the spikey haired red head replied, "Because you remind me of myself not too long ago."

The orphan's raised his left eye brow in confusion, "I do?"

Gaara nodded his head up and down saying yes, "You may not know this, but I've also spent most of my childhood hated and misunderstood for something I had no control over."

Amon stared at him in awe of the words he just spoke.

"I'm sure you're aware I use to have a demon inside of me," he stated with little emphasis.

Slowly the orphan nodded yes to let him know he was aware.

"It wasn't the demon inside me that turned me into a monster, it was the hate I received because of it," he stated sadly.

Amon was in shock of what he was hearing, but he still was curious about something. "Well if that's true, then how did you make friends? And how did you become the Kazekage?" he asked in interest.

At first Gaara just sat there expressionless not knowing how to answer the question. He knew why he decided to change his life, but he was trying to figure out how to explain it to him. Then he thought of Naruto the guy who saved him from the path of destruction.

"Four years ago I met someone who completely changed my life. He taught me friendship was the key to becoming stronger. Naruto Uzumaki taught me that if I have people I care about in my life I can accomplish anything," he said in his usual dark voice.

The Kazekage stood up from his desk and walked to front of it so he can lean back against it. "You see Amon when you have people who care about you, you're not alone anymore," he said with confidence.

The boy understood completely what Gaara was talking about, but he's still wasn't sure if he can make friends. He was an orphan with a bad past. _Just because it worked out for him, doesn't mean it will work for me_, he thought. But then he realized what the Kazekage was doing for him. Not only was he training him but he also was given him a place to say.

"Thanks Gaara," the words kind of sounded broken up since he was filled with emotion.

Gaara's arms were casually folded resting against his chest like always. He looked down at the boy sitting in front of him and said, "No problem, it's my job as Kazekage to make sure everyone is looked after," he replied with a smile.

The young boy smiled at his words, but still there was one more thing he wanted to ask him. He wasn't sure if it was the right thing to ask since they just met but he had to know. "Um Gaara?" he said trying to get his attention.

The red head tilted his head with interest.

"What is it?" he asked.

Amon stayed silent for a while trying to picture the words he wanted to say._Damn it I'm never this nervous around most people,_he said to himself. When he got over his shyness he began to speak his mind.

"Are we friends?" he asked with his heart beating faster than it did before.

Gaara still leaning against the desk in his normal stance didn't answer immediately. He just stood there in a daze as if he didn't hear one word the boy just said. It was as if he was in another dimension away from reality. His blue eyes were wide open but still didn't answer. Suddenly he stood up straight and placed his hand on the kids black hair. Another attempt at a smile began to show on his face.

"Yes we are."

**to be continued **

**well chapter 3 was good lets see what **

**happen with Gaara and matsuri in Chapter 4**


	4. Chapter 4 : Understanding

[A/N]Hey everyone, I've hoped you enjoyed this story so far. This chapter is much longer than the previous ones I wrote. There were a lot of things I wanted to squeeze into this chapter so it took some time for me to complete it. For those of you who have been waiting for adventure, be patient I plan on putting some action in the next chapter or the one following it. Those of you who are looking for lemons are going to be waiting a while because I don't plan on writing one until Matsuri and Gaara get a little closer. But Anyways I think I've explained enough enjoy the chapter and please review! Much thanks to my beta JasmineDragon22, always fixing my mistakes I appreciate it.

Chapter 4: Understanding

Amon sat in his chair quietly, not saying a word. He was in a daze trying to realize if he was in a dream or if this was reality. There was so much to take in from the time Gaara started revealing his plans. On his way over to the Kazekage office building he was wondering what was in store for him when he got there but this was unimaginable. First the Gaara asks him to become his protégé, which caught him off guard. Not to say he was complaining, because being the pupil of the fifth Kazekage is something that many young shinobi his age dream about. Then shortly after that he offers the young boy to come live with him and his siblings, which was even more overwhelming. Still that wasn't the most shocking thing he heard from him. There was something more important that the red head said to make the boy happy to be alive. He said that he was his friend and that's the one thing Amon wanted more than anything.

Gaara still had the palm of his hand on the boy's head. The Kazekage was happy to see that the young boy accepted friendship instead of hatred. Then he noticed something unusual, something he didn't expect at all. There was a little drop of water rolling down Amon's pale cheeks. At first he thought there was something wrong with the piping in the building as he looked up at the ceiling, so he looked up to inspect but there was nothing. He moved his attention from the roof back to black haired boy sitting in front of him. Tears were running down from his pale cheeks from his dark green eyes.

"I see," the Kazekage said nodding his head in he removed his hand from Amon's head then he kneeled to look him in the eyes. Noticing that Gaara was closer he began to try and calm his self-down.

He tried to speak but he kept sniffling while wiping away his tears. "I'm sorry sir, I know I-I shouldn't b-be crying b-but I can't help it…" he stuttered trying to get out his words.

Gaara stared at him with his usual emotionless face not knowing what to say. Gaara may be good at speeches but he's not cut out for therapy. Still there wasn't much to say, he decided to let the boy release the pain he's been holding in for so long. Staring into Amon's painful eyes he decided to say something.

"You know… most shinobi are taught to hide their emotions on missions. This rule is one of the 100 shinobi principles of being a ninja," he stated slowly. He then stood back up and leaned back against his desk before continuing.

The boy lifted his head to give Gaara his full attention. Still wiping his tears and sniffling he focused on the Kazekage to hear what he had to say.

"It's one of the most important principals of being a shinobi. If you show your feelings on a mission it clouds your judgment, making you lose your since of duty," he continued. Hearing his words the boy became embarrassed at the emotional display he had just shown.

He also knew that rule very well; better than anyone else his age that had graduated from the academy with him the previous year. His life has always been hard; basically he spent most of his time alone at the orphanage. No one liked him; he was treated like dirt by the children and adults of the village. The worst part about it was he never knew why he was hated so much. Even though he was looked at as nothing more than a nuisance his entire life, he always held himself together. He never showed his pain in frustration he just worked hard to make himself stronger so he can earn the acknowledgement and respect he deserved. But now he was in the office of the Kazekage and he was sulking right in front of him. The 12-year-old genin hung his head in shame.

However the Kazekage wasn't done speaking yet. He looked out his office window for a minute then turned back to his new apprentice. "Fortunately for you you're not on a mission," Gaara said in a calm manner.

Amon looked up in confusion; he didn't know what his new sensei was trying to tell him.

_What does he mean? _He thought to himself.

"You're in my office," he said finishing his statement with a small grin. After seeing the grin on Gaara's face, he slowly began to realize what he was talking about. A smile appeared on the former orphan's face. He realized it was okay for him to show his emotions hear and in his presence.

Amon lifted his head from the ground so he can face his new teacher. The tears from his eyes had now completely disappeared without a trace. He wasn't stuttering anymore; he had finally managed to calm himself down. Now that he was finally calm he was able to move his lips and speak.

"Thank you Gaara," he said calmly with gratitude

Gaara face still had no expression on it. It didn't show but he was actually proud of his new apprentice. He was glad that that he was able to let everything he ever felt out. After all Gaara knows his pain better than anyone. The red head crossed his arms assuming his normal stance as he leaned back against the desk, then he casually replied.

"You're welcome."

Later on that night, the village was slowly calming down. The sky was a beautiful orange color with a hint of blue, which meant that it was evening and the sun would be completely set in a couple of hours. During this time Temari and Kankuro were at home waiting for their little brother to show up. The two older siblings received a brief message from a messenger bird about an hour ago. The letter they received read:

Dear Siblings,

I have something important I need to discuss with you. With that said, I hope you guys haven't made any plans because if you have you're going to have to cancel them immediately. I apologize for doing this on such short notice but this meeting is necessary since this plan of mine will affect you two as well. I'm not going to give you any details on it right now; once I get home I'll fill you in on everything that's going on. As soon as I'm done in the office I'll be home, which should be in about an hour from now so you should probably just relax until I get there.

Gaara

It had been almost an hour since they received that message. Kankuro was sitting on a lavender chair in the living room holding the letter to his face. "I wonder what the hell he wants to talk about?"he asked while scratching his head in confusion.

His older sister Temari sat directly across from him on a matching couch. The sand siblings lived in a nice mansion about ten minutes from the Kazekage office building. Temari had her legs crossed like a lady, while her hands lay side by side on her lap. "I don't know but will find out soon enough," she said without any worry.

The puppet master got an irritated look on his face he placed the letter on the wooden table in front of the couch.

"I understand Gaara's the Kazekage, but it is still kind of annoying to be bossed around by your little brother." He got up and walked towards the kitchen.

"What are you getting out of there?" Temari asked curiously.

"Some coffee" he replied as he opened up the cabinets.

Temari raised her left eyebrow as if to say what the hell? She let out a cough to get his attention, "Ahem… Kankuro isn't it a little late for coffee?" she asked in a high pitch tone.

Before answering he grabbed some packages out of the second shelf in the cabinet, and placed them on the he opened up the cabinet to his left which was filled with cups. He grabbed glass a one, "Yeah so what?" he yelled back into the living room.

"Well he's got a point" she said to herself. So she shouted one more time from the living room, "Make me some too!"

Suddenly they heard something from the door. They heard the sound of keys dangling outside of the front door. The door knob slowly turned, as it was being unlocked. The door opened all the way as two people entered the room.

"Well…looks whose home," Kankuro said with a devilish grin as he continued to make his beverage.

Standing at the front of the door was a teen with in a red coat with a black vest on top. Next to him was a younger shorter boy wearing an old worn out red t-shirt that was ripped and a stretched out collar.

Temari stood up from the couch and walked towards her little brother. "I see you decided to show up on time Gaara," she said with a smirk on her face.

He didn't reply to her statement he just looked in the kitchen and waited for Kankuro to finish doing whatever he was doing.

She gave her brother an annoyed look that said whatever as she turned attention to the black haired boy next to him. "Hi Amon it's nice to see you again!" she said with a cheerful voice as she gave him a hug.

He really didn't know what to do; like Gaara, Amon was still getting use to affection. Still he couldn't help but blush by her embrace, as he tried to hug her back. _Wow she smells good,_he thought to himself as his face turned the color of a tomato.

He had to admit he enjoyed the contact it gave him a warm feeling, but to his dismay the polite embrace had to come to an end as she removed her hands from around him. He was disappointed but didn't show it on his face; instead he decided to keep the same expressionless mug that his new sensei seems to always have.

Gaara looked into the kitchen to see how far along his brother was with making his beverage. The Kazekage wanted to get started as quickly as possible, because he had one more place to go once he was done here.

He looked at the boy standing next to him and said, "While we're waiting we should probably make ourselves comfortable." So he walked over to the couch that his sister was sitting on and sat down. Temari shrugged her shoulders in agreement, and decided sit in the chair that Kankuro was sitting in.

Amon was the only one who hadn't taken a seat. The boy was in a trance as his eyes wandered around the beautiful room. It was simply breath taking; the whole room was just decorated with such brilliance. The walls were a beautiful silver creamy pink color; they were decorated with artistic paintings. The windows were made of Nickel-plated steel and tempered glass. The tile on the floor matched the walls. Gaara noticed the boy still standing, which bothered him since he had just told the boy to relax.

"Amon," the red head said in a stern voice, "Take a seat were about to get started."

With that he quickly snapped out of his trance. "Yes sir," he said as he walked towards the same couch the red head was currently sitting.

He noticed Gaara was sitting on the right side of the couch so he plopped down on the opposite side so they can both have plenty of space. He sat there quietly, patiently waiting for things to get underway. Temari on the other hand was beginning to get impatient. The blonde girl turned her head slightly to right before shouting into the kitchen.

"Kankuro can you move your ass! I want to get this thing started sometime tonight!" she yelled with agitation.

Unlike his older sister Gaara sat there patiently, even though he had a prior engagement after he sat there peacefully with eyes closed and arms folded. He was taking the time to think about what he was going to say.

Finally the middle child came out of the kitchen with a coffee mug in each hand. "I'm right here so calm the hell down!" he said with irritated voice as he approached. When he got to his chair stood there frozen.

Slowly he began grinding his teeth in frustration, as he glared at the blonde kunoichi who was sitting in his chair. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he questioned.

Temari returned his glare with one of her own as her lips corked up in a smirk. "Wow I didn't think you can get any dumber," She said in relaxed compose tone, "I'm sitting dumbass."

The puppet master turned around to place the coffee mugs on the table, then quickly turned back to face his sister. "Get your ass up and sit somewhere else! You know that's my favorite seat!" he shouted.

The green eyed girl looked up at her younger brother as she sat there calmly dwindling her thumbs. Temari was actually enjoying his anger and frustration; she always did stuff like this at his expense, especially when she was bored.

Slowly she moved her lips to say only two words, "Fuck… you."

After that all hell broke loose, as the two siblings started exchanging insults.

"Dumb ass!" the puppet master yelled.

"Fucking retard!" the kunoichi screamed back.

"Bimbo!"

"Puppet queer!"

Amon was in shock by the words he was hearing from the two experienced shinobi. Especially when you consider they're two of the most renowned ninja in sand village. He kept shifting his eyes back in forth between them, in awe what he was hearing.

Meanwhile Gaara wasn't so amused. He placed his hand on his forehead in frustration. His eyes still closed he began to think, _One day those two are going to be the death of me, _he thought to himself.

Eventually he opened his eyes and stood up to speak, "That's enough you two!" He said in a stern voice, but still keeping his cool composure.

They both stopped there bickering at the sound of his voice. Then they turned to look at each other to give one final glare before quietly sitting down. The red head looked at his two older siblings, and then with satisfaction he also took his seat. When Kankuro had finally sat down on the opposite couch, he noticed the young boy sitting across from him. He didn't notice his presence earlier because he was busy in the kitchen when the two of them entered. Then he got sidetracked when he got into an argument with Temari.

The brown haired shinobi stared at the young boy with curiosity then turned two his other two siblings and asked "Who's the kid?" as he pointed towards the green eyed boy.

Before Gaara could answer, Temari answered. "This is Amon, Gaara's new pupil!" she said with a cheerful voice as she turned to her brother and gave him look that said_I already know_.

The Kazekage gave his sister a nod to acknowledge that she was indeed correct. Kankuro on the other hand was a little thrown off, as he raised his brow in disarray. He observed the boy, while proceeding to rub his chin in wonder.

"Hmm…"he said in a low tone to himself. Suddenly he pointed his finger at the genin, "This little runt is going to be your pupil?" he asked not believing what he just heard.

Amon heard that he immediately let out a growl to let Kankuro know he was insulted by what he had just said. _Asshole, _the young orphan thought as he balled his fist in frustration.

After hearing his brother's lack of faith in the young man's abilities, Gaara decided to correct him. "He's much stronger then he looks," he said while giving eye contact to the brown haired teen. He personally didn't see him train the night before but he knew that the boy had incredible stamina and endurance.

Hearing the faith the Kazekage had him, made Kankuro feel good so he was able to relax and forget about the other brother's previous comment. He shrugged his shoulders at Gaara's statement and just eased back in his chair.

"Hmm I'll find out how strong he is," he said with a smirk as he stared at the boy.

Amon didn't say anything he just glared at the puppet master. Then a confident smirk appeared on his face "I'll make you eat those words jerk," he said in a cocky tone.

Before Kankuro could open his mouth to reply Gaara quickly took the floor,"Alright enough of that… It's time for me to tell you the rest of it," he said in his usual deep voice.

He wanted to get finished so he could go deliver the same news to someone else who would be involved.

Temari immediately became alert at those words, since she thought she knew everything her little brother had up his sleeve. "Hold on your saying there's more?" she questioned in aggravated tone of voice. She wanted to go to her room, and relax after her long day.

Gaara noticed the irritation on her face, so he decided to say something to calm her nerves. "Don't worry Temari, it's going to be brief," he reassured the impatient blonde.

The blonde kunoichi gave a sigh of relief as she eased back into her chair making herself comfortable.

The red head looked at both his siblings not knowing how they were going to react to the news he was about to share with them. His blue eyes wandered around the room trying to think of ways to explain the situation to his older brother and sister.

Finally he closed his eyes before speaking, "Amon will be living with us for now on."

The words that came out of his mouth were so fluid that it surprised even him. _I guess it was easier to say then I previously believed, _he thought to himself.

Abruptly the two others had their mouths open in shock of what they just heard. Kankuro thought he was about to tip over on the floor, while Temari looked like she was about to faint. Fortunately for Gaara, his eyes were still closed so he couldn't see the weird expressions on their faces. Amon was actually kind of amused, especially when he saw the brown haired shinobi fall off the couch.

Crazy thoughts started running through Temari's head. _Oh no we don't need another immature boy in this house,_she thought as she started to feel a headache come on._Man it's bad enough…Kankuro leaves the toilet seat up all the time but now I got to deal with a preteen who probably still going through puberty._

As these panicking thoughts were going through her head, Kankuro was going through something similar. _I got to live with this cocky brat,_the puppet master imagined the two of them at war.

The two older siblings stood up abruptly to argue with the youngest family member.

"Why the hell would you make such a decision without consulting with us?" Kankuro asked with infuriation.

He couldn't believe he would just go behind their backs and make such a big decision. Temari was also on edge about the whole thing but not for the same reasons as Kankuro. She didn't think she can handle another obnoxious male in the house. Even though she thought Amon was a good kid, she can tell he had fiery side as well as her two little brothers.

"For once Kankuro is right Gaara…" the middle child looked at the blonde insulted but decided not retaliates since she currently wasn't the problem."You can't just go around planning things like this without confirming it with us!" she chided.

Amon just sat there quietly waiting to see how the three of them were going to conjure up a solution. The Kazekage still sitting there decided to wait till they burned off all their energy talking before giving an explanation.

"I mean what the hell's been going on with you? You've been acting strange ever since your rescue from the Akatsuki a month ago," kankuro insinuated as he got closer to his little brother's face. The blue eyed shinobi just stared back with irritation, not wanting to be this close to his face.

"I don't know what fuck is wrong with you! But you haven't been yourself lately," Temari said while leaning forward with her hand placed on her hip.

For several more minutes two went on lecturing Gaara as he just sat there quietly, not really listening to of them. Finally the two of them stopped to catch their breath. Gaara decided to take this opportunity to put in his speak.

"Are you two finished?" he inquired as lifted his head to stare at them. Kankuro and Temari looked at each other than back at Gaara and nodded to confirm they were both done. "Good," he said as he stood up so he can be at eye level with them.

He looked to his left to see the young genin staring intently at them wondering what would be the conclusion of this discussion.

"Now then there are three reasons why I want him to live here," he declared.

Kankuro tilted his head curious to what he was speaking of, "Three reasons?"

The red head nodded, before continuing on with his explanation. "The first is because of his strength and potential, with his work ethic he can become one of the sand's strongest shinobi in a short amount of time."

Temari and Kankuro looked to their right at the boy still sitting on the couch. _I wonder why he has so much faith in this kid._

Gaara walked towards Amon and stood to the right of where he was sitting. He folded his arms as he sat on the arm of the couch right next to him. "The second is so I can keep him out of trouble, he's a good kid but he spends too much time alone at the orphanage I think an atmosphere like this is better suited for him."

Temari slowly started to understand as the look on her face turned to a more of a sad caring nature. Before he can explain the last reason it took him a while to get the proper words out. The green eyed preteen was hunched over in the couch with his hands clamped together and his face towards the ground. He didn't even notice the Kazekage staring at him with pain in his eyes.

Looking at the 12 year old made him think back to how he used to be when he was isolated and alone. Deep inside him he knew that people dealt with loneliness in different ways. Like Naruto Uzumaki who had used to be the class clown and pull pranks all day. He wanted attention so he got in trouble so people could notice him, but eventually he made friends who trusted him and saved him from that loneliness. Then there was Sasuke Uchiha, Uzumaki's best friend who kept to himself and wanted nothing but revenge. Even though he too made friends he ultimately chose the path of revenge and decided to join Orochimaru. Lastly there was his self, the kid who was feared by every man, woman, and child in the village. To this day he will never forget all the people he killed in the past, some innocent and some were evil. Still that didn't matter he killed for the sole reason of being able to fill alive. Although his life has obviously changed for the better…he still had a long way to go.

The Kazekage sighed as he sat on the arm of the couch. A small smile began to surface on his face. Slowly but steadily he placed his hand on the boy's head. Alarmed when he felt Gaara's hand on his shoulder he turned and looked him the eyes. He himself still was trying to wonder why the Kazekage had so much faith in him.

"The last and final reason…" he paused, "He's just like me," the two siblings immediately became alert at those words, their eyes widened. It seemed they were starting to understand why he wanted to do this.

"Throughout his life he has been alone, no friends no family. He had to take care of himself for a long time, perhaps even longer than I did. This village has mistreated him and hated him for something he couldn't control." The two siblings began to frown in sadness not knowing he lived such a miserable life. Temari felt like she wanted to cry, it reminded her of how her little brother was treated back then. Kankuro also felt bad for being such a jerk earlier, that he wanted to apologize but decided to wait for a more appropriate time.

"Even on our way over here I noticed people staring at him like he was a monster," he said with sorrow in his voice. The young leader stood up and removed his hand from the boys head. Then he proceeded to walk towards Kankuro and Temari. He stopped once he felt he was close enough to his relatives. "He's not a monster he's a young kid with a bad past just like the three of us, but by living with us we can change his life for the better and give him something to hope for in the future" he said with a small grin.

The two of them didn't know what to say they were at a complete loss for words. Temari turned to look at her face-painted brother. She felt so bad for Amon that she just couldn't say no after hearing what he's been through.

"Kankuro…what do you think?" she asked in an emotional tone.

The brown haired puppet master looked at the kid still sitting on the couch. _Maybe there's more to this kid than meets the eye,_he thought as he rubbed his chin with interest.

He turned his bed back to his sister and nodded, "He should stay." A big smile appeared on the kunoichi's face as she turned to the Kazekage. "I agree," she said joyfully as she waved for the Amon to join them.

He stood up with a smile, and then walked about five feet to stand with them. They were all four standing in a circle and Amon was the shortest among them. He looked up at Gaara to see what he would say next. The red head looked at his older siblings and grinned.

"Thanks," he said with gratitude. The two nodded to say you're welcome. After they had finally come to an agreement the red head looked at his new pupil and gave him a reassuring grin, to let him know everything was going to be okay. Amon returned his grin with one of his own then nodded in understanding.

_Where the hell is he going?_The three of them thought. Before Gaara could get to the door he stopped a couple feet from the door.

"Temari can you show Amon to his new room?" he asked.

The blonde was completely thrown off by his question because she was still wondering where he was going. "Uhh… sure Gaara, but where are you going?" she questioned with curiosity.

Gaara sighed not wanting to explain where he was about to go. "I have to go see someone I shouldn't be gone for long," he replied.

As soon as she heard those words a smirk emerged on her face. She knew where he was going it was just too obvious. "Alright then is there anything else?" she asked.

The Kazekage replied, "Yes there is… Kankuro I need you to do me a favor."

He lifted an eyebrow, "What is it?"

"I need you to take Amon to get new clothes tomorrow. Can you do that?" As soon as he heard that he turned his attention to the 12 year old that had a devilish grin on his green eyed genin began to chuckle _this is going to be fun._

With that the brown haired shinobi, knew he would have a rough day if agreed to take him, but he had no choice since the kid hardly had any clothes. The ones he had were torn, raggedy, and old. "Sure…what the hell!" he said nervously rubbing the back of his skull.

"Thanks," he said graciously before bowing his head. Before he could put his hand on the door knob his sister called out his name.

"Gaara…"the red head didn't turn around but he turned his head slightly to the left to give her his attention.

The wind user smiled at her little brother while lowering her brows suspiciously. "Tell Matsuri I said hi!" she said with a smirk on her face.

Gaara suddenly began to blush as his cheeks turned red with embarrassment. _How the hell did she know? _He wondered. Even though it was obvious to Temari, Amon and Kankuro had no idea where he was heading.

_Damn am I that obvious? _He asked himself. The young leader decided just to shrug it off since he knew he had to get going before it got too late. "Y-Yeah I'll be sure to do that," he answered while feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Wanting to end the awkwardness, he quickly opened the door to walk out while quietly closing it behind him.

They three of them just stood there disoriented by his actions. However Amon was the most confused out of the three. He never met or heard of this Matsuri girl and was curious to find out who she was. So he tapped Kankuro on the shoulder, hoping he can get some answers from the puppet master. Kankuro turned around with an annoyed look on his face.

"What is it?" he asked with a salty attitude.

The genin returned his salty look with one of his own before replying. "Who is this Matsuri Girl? And why was Gaara acting all weird by the mere mention of her name?"

The brown haired shinobi scratched his head at the boy's question. _Well isn't he the nosey one _he thought. He didn't expect the young kid to even notice something like that.

"Well she is his pupil like you," he said briefly not wanting to answer the second question.

All of the sudden Temari started giggling out of nowhere which began to creep them out.

"What's so funny?" Kankuro asked frustrated by her sudden outburst.

The kunoichi kept giggling before answering his question. "Ha-ha I can't believe how dense men can be."

Kankuro just raised an eyebrow at her statement not knowing what to think of her insult. When she finally stopped laughing she was able to give some clarity on the current situation. Before speaking she gave a final sigh to let them know she enjoyed laughing at their expense.

"Matsuri is much more than Gaara's pupil…" she stated as if she was all knowing. The boy with face paint rolled his eyes at her comment; he knew what she was getting at.

"Look Temari I know where you're going with this and you couldn't be more wrong. Gaara isn't into her like that I already asked him about it and he assured me their relationship is strictly professional," he sighed.

Amon just sat there listening to the two sibling's debate over his new sensei's personal life. He really didn't know who to think of their argument, so he decided to be quiet and listen a bit longer.

Temari sighed at his response, to let him know just how hopeless he is. "Trust me I know that he's interested in her, I mean there are way too many signs to prove it."

Being the oldest sibling and the only girl she was much more observant than her brothers. She always kept her eyes open to be aware of certain things even if they were none of her business. It's a part of a ninja's job to be highly skilled in espionage so things like this always kept her alert.

"Think about it you didn't notice how late Gaara got in last night, because I did. Wasn't he supposed to be out training with Matsuri last night," she said the last five words slowly with air quotations as she began walking towards the living room window that had a perfect view of the moon.

Kankuro really didn't know what to believe anymore, he was confused by the whole situation. He had also had his own suspicion about the two of them being an item. But his brother made it clear to him the other day that it could never happen. On the other hand he had to admit his sister was usually right when it came to these things.

Temari stared at out the window to look at the stars. "It's so obvious she has feelings for him, but the question is does Gaara have feelings for her?" she questioned as she began to rub her chin._ The stars sure do look beautiful tonight _she thought to herself. They shined so bright that they glowed in the dark night.

"Hmm I think so," she said with a small grin.

Moving quickly Gaara almost sprinted across the village. It would take him about five minutes to get to his destination. _She should be home since I didn't assign her any missions._ He picked up the pace as he jumped from roof top to roof top to cover more ground. It was actually strange that he didn't get tired considering how exhausted he was yesterday when he was moving at a similar speed. But unfortunately he didn't have time to worry about that. _I hope she's home because we need to talk,_ he thought. The Kazekage started to wonder if she was going to want to talk about that.

Deep down he knew they needed to discuss what happened between them last night even though he dreaded having to talk about their awkward moment. He still remembered the feeling he had when their bodies were pressed up against each other. That warm feeling he had in his stomach as he inhaled her scent. He couldn't get her peach scent out of his mind, it was so damn intoxicating. There was no doubt in his mind that he was attracted to Matsuri and that she was very well interested in him after display she put on last night.

The fact was there were several reasons why he didn't want to get involved in a relationship. The first being if he got involved with Matsuri, he didn't think the council would exactly give him there blessings. Even though most council wouldn't think much of there was still some members who already disliked him having that position and would probably say anything to make him lose it.

Then there was problem with time. As the leader of the village Gaara was just too busy to get involved in a serious relationship. He knew how needy and pushy women can be since he lived with one. _Damn Temari... how did she know anyway?_ He wondered as jumped on to the roof top of a restaurant building.

She's always been an inquisitive female, but still he didn't know she was that aware of his personal life. Putting that aside the red head was only a couple minutes away from her apartment, so he need to focus on the task at hand. "I'm just going to tell her the information I need to tell her then I'll be on my way," he said calmly to himself.

_Almost there._

Meanwhile Matsuri was at home lying down quietly in her bed in her pajamas. She wore a cute button up pink shirt with small brown teddy bears and matching pants. She didn't get much sleep last night considering everything that happened and once she got home she tried her best to go to sleep but she couldn't stop thinking about him. All she did was toss and turn the whole night. The way he held her, he was so gentle and caring. His eyes staring intensely into her own, which made her want to melt. Then she thought back to the moment where they almost kissed.

A frown appeared on her face when she thought back to that moment. "Why did he stop me?" she asked herself with a puzzled look on his face. The young kunoichi got up from the bed and proceeded to the bathroom.

Once in the restroom she turned on the light switch and walked towards the sink. She pulled out her toothbrush holder and some tooth paste from the drawer.

"Doesn't he find me attractive?" she asked herself as she spread the toothpaste on the brush.

The brown haired girl began brushing her teeth with frustration, "I mean is there something wrong with my body?" She asked angrily as she pushed the brush back in fourth even faster in her mouth. "No couldn't be that she said," she reassured herself as she looked down at her nicely shaped curves. Still not knowing began to bug the hell out of the 17 year old genin as she brushed even faster and harder.

"What the hell could it be?" She yelled with frustration. She ended up brushing too hard as she noticed her gums began bleeding.

Her gums slowly began to bleed during her moment of her accelerated brushing. She dropped her brush into the sink and leaned forward into the mirror as soon as she felt her gums split.

"Damn it!" she yelled as she dropped her brush into the sink. She reached into the cabinet to get some out a cup so she can rinse out her mouth. She turned on the water faucet and filled up the cup with water then. Then she began to rinse her mouth out when she heard a knock on her door.

She gargled for about twenty seconds then spit the water into the sink before she screamed, "Hold on I'm coming!" Before exiting the bathroom she grabbed a clean hand towel from one of her drawers to wipe off the any blood that may have remained on her teeth.

She immediately turned off the lights in her bathroom and walked towards the living room door. _I wonder who it could be at this hour _she thought as she approached the door.

When she got to the door she looked out the peep hole in her door to see who was on the other side. She gasped when she saw him standing at her door.

"Gaara," she said with shock in her voice. Quickly she began to panic. _Aww man what do I say? What do I do? I wasn't expecting him_, she said panicked. Her heart started beating at a faster rate as she clenched her chest. She was excited to see him but nervous at the same time. _What could he be doing here?_ She asked herself as she slowly began to calm herself down. The short haired girl leaned against the door trying to figure out why he was here. Another knock came from behind the door, this one a little louder.

"Okay Matsuri, just calm down and answer the door… Everything will be alright if you just stay calm," she reassured herself. She then turned around and opened the door and tried to act as casual as possible.

"Hey Gaara… what brings you hear?" she questioned nervously as she squinted her eyes. _Damn it I'm already acting like a nervous little girl._ However Gaara didn't notice her awkwardness so he decided to get right to the point.

"I came to talk to you about something, can you spare a few minutes?" he asked in a friendly tone, but still using his rather deep voice.

She stood still for a while, unable to answer his question. Many thoughts started going through her mind as she stood there in a trance. _I wonder if he wants to talk about last night,_ she thought as her eyes lifted toward the ceiling_. Maybe he'll explain why he was acting so strange yesterday._

The red head began to notice his pupil staring off into space. "Matsuri," he said her name politely trying to get her attention.

Instantly she snapped back into reality "Oh! Sorry come on in," she said as she moved aside to let him enter her apartment. Once he was in she quietly shut the door behind him and locked it. He took a few seconds to observe her apartment since it was his first time inside of it, which is surprising since he's been her sensei for three years. Her living room was nice the walls were snow white and decorated with pictures of all her love ones.

Matsuri plopped down on her couch to relax and make herself comfortable. Gaara on the other hand was still standing in the middle looking at the pictures. Many of them were pictures of her loved ones, mostly her and her parents. Then he noticed a picture on a desk next to the couch that caught his attention. It was a picture of Matsuri, Temari, Kankuro and himself. He walked over to the desk and slowly picked it up. It was a picture they took three years ago shortly after they rescued Matsuri from the creeps from the Village of Artisans. Temari was the one who suggested them take the picture once they had gotten home, even though her youngest brother was camera shy.

Matsuri noticed him observing the picture with such intensity that it made her smile. "Can you believe it's been three years since then?" she asked trying to start a conversation.

Gaara grinned at her words and agreed. "No I can't," he said as he placed the picture back on the desk and walked over to the couch to sit down.

He sat all the way on the other end not wanting to sit to close her, so he could prevent a repeat of last night. Matsuri noticed how distant he was acting when he sat on the far end of the couch. She just chuckled to herself about how cute he looked when he was nervous.

"So Lord Kazekage, what brings you here?" she asked in a flirting manner.

Gaara sat there quietly with eyes focused on the door as he started to feel a bit uncomfortable. For some reason he couldn't look her in the eyes. His eyes kept shifting around the room trying to focus on something so he didn't have to make I contact. He could feel his heart began to beat faster, like it did the previous night before. The red headed boy decided the quicker he got this talk over with the quicker he could leave. So he did his best to calm himself down before explaining the reason for his unexpected visit.

"I came here today to talk to you about some changes I've made," he said as he tried to relax in his seat.

The brunette raised an eyebrow at his sudden declaration. She then shifted her position by lifting her legs onto the couch and crossing them Indian style. Then she rubbed her hands together showing how eager she was to for him to continue. "Changes…what changes?" she asked showing her interest on the topic.

The Kazekage had his arms crossed like usual, while trying to figure out how to explain. He wanted to go about this the right way without upsetting her in any way. _How do I tell her?_ The red head was puzzled. Most of the time it was easy for him to do things like this, but for some reason he was struggling just to get the words out.

"Let's see I guess I should start from the beginning," he said nonchalantly. Matsuri nodded her head in anticipation; she was hoping he was going to ask her out even though she was sure that wasn't it. _I can still hope can't I? _She thought.

"Do you remember the excuse I gave you for being late yesterday?" he asked in a low tone. The red head just wanted to come out and explain everything, but he knew since she was a female he had to go about it differently. It's a good thing he had developed patience, because if it was anyone else he knew they probably would have just blurted everything out so they can leave sooner. He started to think back to last night.

All she really could remember was the kiss that should have happened. Thinking back to that moment she immediately fell off topic. _Why the hell did he stop me? It doesn't make any since. I mean doesn't he find me interesting and attractive? What do I have to do to get him to understand?_ She thought with frustration.

"Matsuri?" she heard her name which disrupted her thoughts. She turned to see the read looking at her with concern. "Is something wrong?" he asked raising an invisible eyebrow.

She quickly shook her head in answer, "No I'm fine, but to answer your question I believe you said you needed to take care of something." She decided to make a mental note to ask him the questions that were floating around in her head later.

Gaara sighed, "Yeah I did say that, but the truth is I was late because I was having a conversation with someone."

The brunette became alert at these words as her eyes widen. She suddenly began to ball her fists with jealousy. Out of nowhere she started jumping to conclusions "Who were you talking to Gaara? Was it Sari? I knew she was going to make her move sooner or later that bitch!" she yelled as she sat up and punched the wall behind her couch leaving a small dent.

He was startled by her reaction, _She must be delusional _he thought to himself. Still for some reason he found it rather cute that she overreacted in such a manner. He couldn't help but grin before reassuring her there was nothing going on between her teammate and him.

"Matsuri I can assure you there's nothing going on between Sari and I, we're just friends I was talking about someone else," he said with amusement.

Embarrassed by her display she tried to relax as she reclined back in her chair. _Damn I'm such a moron, _she thought_._She wacked herself on the top of head then chuckled, "Oh my bad".

Gaara decided to explain further on so she wouldn't jump to anymore conclusions. "I was talking to a young boy who happened to be an orphan."

She became intrigued and decided not to interrupt him this time.

"I met him when I was taking a walk around the village. I ended up on southern region of the village when I found him training alone. He looked exhausted like he had been training for hours."

Matsuri couldn't help but scoot closer to the red head as he continued explaining, but this time she wasn't scooting close because she was trying to flirt. She just became so interested she wanted to sit closer to him. He didn't pay too much attention to it, since he knew she didn't have any ulterior motives.

"I talked to him for about 10 minutes to try and get to know a little about him. It interested me to see a kid his age out so late training by himself."

Curious by his statement she asked him, "How old is he?" Even though his topic wasn't about the two of them becoming item she felt she needed to be attentive and listen to the story.

"He's a 12 and a genin," he said briefly with a yawn following his statement.

When she noticed him yawning she began to wonder, _Maybe I can convince him to spend the night ._She quickly pushes that thought aside to focus on the red head.

"Oh I see… that is kind of young, but didn't you use to stay out later than that Gaara?" she asked already knowing the answer.

Gaara sighed while thinking about all the lonely nights he spent on the roof top of the Kazekage mansion. All the way back to when his father the Fourth Kazekage was in rule he was isolated. Still every now and then he sits on the top of the roof top, peacefully gazing at the moon.

"Your right… but when I used to stay out late at night it was for different reasons," he replied with some pain in his voice.

She saw that it hurt him to talk about his past. The young kunoichi frowned and placed her hand on his arm and began stroking his arm to comfort him. "It's alright Gaara we don't have to talk about that," she said as she kept rubbing his hair. To her surprise he wasn't startled at all he just continued speaking.

"When I saw his eyes they reminded me of myself. The pain and loneliness that I saw in his eyes is what made me notice him… and that's when I decided," he muttered softly.

Matsuri removed her hand from him and looked at him with her intense dark eyes. She found herself expecting him to drop a bombshell of new on her. "What did you decide?"

There was so much tension and anticipation that filled the room. It was silent the only thing you could hear were the crickets chirping outside. Gaara just sat there casually searching for the right words. When he found the right words he decided to let her know.

"The kid I'm speaking of is going to become my protégé," he said in a tranquil voice.

Surprised, she actually was quite happy about the idea. As soon as she processed his words she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around. "Aw Gaara that's so cute you're going to turn him in to a smaller version of you!" she cheered as her grip on him became tighter.

"Damn it! I can't breathe!" he croaked while gasping for air.

"I'm so happy for you! What's his name?" she said while keeping her tight hold on the teenage Kazekage.

Gaara started to get that same warm feeling in his stomach that he got last night. His pants got a little tighter as he began to feel even more uncomfortable. _Not this again,_he thought as he began to panic. _I need to get away from her before this gets out of hand._

"His name is Amon… and Matsuri I wasn't finished," he murmured.

She frowned and released her hold on him. His cheeks were still bright red from that affectionate hug he received. _What the hell has gotten into her lately? _He wondered as he fixed his red coat and vest. Her behavior has been rather different if you consider the way she has been acting lately. Unfortunately he'd have to figure that out during another point in time. It was already late and he didn't want to keep her up any longer if it wasn't necessary. Slowly he opened his mouth to tell her the second part of his plan.

He exhaled slowly then spoke, "Amon is moving in with me." There was a long silence after he said that. Matsuri's jaw completely dropped in shock; she couldn't believe what she just couldn't believe what she was hearing_._

Slowly he stood up and stared at his student. "Well it's late I better get going…" he said calmly. He bowed his head to the young lady and began heading for the door. "Farewell," he said casually as he waved.

Matsuri started to panic when he decided to depart. _What I can't believe him, is he just going to leave without even bringing up what happened last night! _She had a desperate look on her face as if to say don't go. She started to squeeze one of the pillows in her hand to show her anxiousness. Her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest.

Gaara was almost at the door when he felt soft feminine hand on his shoulder. When he turned his head to look back, he saw a small brown haired girl with despair on her face. Looking closer he saw a small tear rolling down her flushed cheek. Seeing this made him feel uneasy, but he didn't know what to do about the situation. He never really had to comfort someone, so he was inexperienced in situations like this, especially with a female. Gaara turned around completely so he can look her in the eyes. Observing her he can see the sadness written on her face.

She tried to wipe her tears, but as soon as she did more came rolling down her flustered cheeks. After that he reached out grabbed her by the arms and then pulled her close so their bodies were up against one another. He cupped the back of her head with his hand and brought her head down to rest on his left shoulder. He had a feeling of why she was she was suffering and he began to feel bad. It was selfish of him just to leave without even addressing what took place the night before. He placed his opposite hand on her lower back and began to rub it to comfort her. Slowly but surely she began to calm down while resting in his arms.

"I'm sorry Matsuri..."

The young girl's body was shaking in his arms. She was still very emotional even though his embrace was comforting her. She lifted her head from his shoulder to stare into his eyes which seemed to change color. They were actually a light green, instead of the previous powder blue, but she was too distraught to bring it up. Still emotional she opened her mouth but struggled to speak.

"J-Just don't go… p-please stay with me," she pleaded still in his arms.

He was surprised to hear her say that, even though he knew that's what she wanted. The young leader just wasn't use to somebody needing him for comfort; it was a brand new feeling which made him feel calm and peaceful. That warm feeling in his gut once again took surface, but this time he welcomed that feeling instead of loathing it. All the same that didn't change the fact that if he spent the night, he would get a full on interrogation from both his siblings in the morning. Especially Temari, her questions would never come to an end.

He knew he wasn't going to want to answer any questions regarding the matter. Unfortunately it was inevitable whether he liked it or not. Kankuro would also be a bother; most likely he would predict that they had done something sexual. The teen sighed at the thought of their accusations.

"Well I guess I'm going to get an earful tomorrow," he said still gazing to her beautiful black eyes. She smiled, and then rubbed the last of her tears away. She then stepped away from his embrace grabbed his hand and walked him back over to the couch to talk.

**My usual heart warming ending, I hope you enjoyed it. I know it was a lot of reading for you and a lot of writing for me, but still It came out better then expected. Now onward to chapter 5, Please review this chapter! you'll be doing me a favor**


	5. Chapter 5 : Questions

[A/N] hey everyone… I know it took a while for me to update but I've been kind of busy lately so it took longer than usual. Most of the time I try to update once a week, but I'm not sure if I could do that on a consistent basis. Anyways I'd like to thank all of you have reviewed my story and been keeping up with it. Those of you who read the story and don't review it shame on you! Just kidding, but seriously I would appreciate a review and it doesn't matter if your critiquing my story or giving it compliments. Well that's all I have to say enjoy :)

Chapter 5: Questions

Silently sitting on the couch, the two young teenagers found themselves in a rather peaceful embrace. The two of them hadn't said a word to each other since Matsuri had stopped crying ten minutes ago. Gaara was leaning back on the couch with one arm around her, while Matsuri's head lay comfortably on his chest and her arms wrapped around his waist. She could hear his heart beating at an average but smooth pace, which was strange to her since the red head always got worked up when it came to close body contact. The last time they were this close he started acting very strange, his body tensed up, his eyes wondered around, and his heart beat so fast you'd think it was going to burst out of his chest. But no not this time, he was perfectly calm, cool, and relaxed like he had done this before_. I wonder why he's so calm this isn't like him_ she thought as she lifted her head from his chest to look into his light green eyes. His eyes always seemed to mesmerize her whenever she stared deep into them. For some reason they always caught her in trance, it seemed like time would move slower. In her mind there was no genjutsu that could compare to his gaze_. What's his secret?_

Gaara was wondering the same exact thing as his female companion. He couldn't understand why he was so calm about the current situation. A women's body was lying up against his, and he just sat there like it was everyday thing._ Why am I not panicking? Or worrying for that matter?_ He asked himself._ Maybe I'm finally getting use to her affectionate side,_ the red head thought as he looked down at her to return her gaze_. She has the most beautiful dark eyes._ Looking into those innocent dark eyes of hers made him feel very serene and peaceful, like he didn't have a care in the world. Even though he had feelings for her he knew they can never be together. Still never in a million years did he ever think of anyone making him feel this way, especially a woman? The idea of a woman having any kind of positive feelings for him was absolutely absurd. He smiled at the thought of him being in a serious relationship, which he knew could never happen but for some reason the thought amused him.

The brunette still looking intensely into his eyes wondered what was going on his head. Gaara always was a mystery to her, that much was true._ Then again that is one of the things that drew me to him._ He always stood out from the crowd; always in the background alone leaning up against a wall, a tree, or building with his arms folded.

The man was always quiet but yet at the same time he was very philosophical; always saying the right thing at the right time. Gaara always stood out as if he refused to be anything but different, that's just the way he is and the way he always will be and she wouldn't change it for the world. Still staring at the man she had feelings for she noticed a smile appear on his face which made her wonder.

"What are you smiling about?" she asked with a smirk on her face and a raised eyebrow.

His smile disappeared once she asked about it. He really didn't want to explain his reasoning behind it, knowing that she would want to talk about his feelings and emotions. Gaara just wasn't cut out for that type of stuff, so he tried his best to shrug it off as if it were nothing. He turned his head away from her and looked up towards the ceiling and sighed.

"It's nothing don't worry about it," he stated calmly.

Matsuri pouted at his response as her head to rest on his chest once again. She was irritated, that he wouldn't share what he was thinking with her. Even though she was use to him withholding information, it still bugged the hell out of her.

"Fine then… be like that," she pouted as she snuggled her head in his chest so she could feel comfortable.

He reclined his neck, bringing his head back down with it and shifted his attention back at the brunette who was holding him. He couldn't help but grin at the girl's childish response. As silly as she could be at times, it was one of the cuter qualities that he came to like about her. It kind of counteracted his serious personality which was a good thing for him.

"Do you always pout when you don't get your way?" he asked with amusement.

She chuckled before answering his question, "Most of the time."

Immediately she released her hold from around his waist, and got up from her resting spot on Gaara's chest. She sat up straight grabbing his other arm that was resting on top of the couch and bringing it down to wrap around her body. After that she laid her head gently on his shoulder. The Kazekage looked confused by her sudden shift, _what the hell is she doing?_ Once he felt his arms wrapped around her waist, he started to lose a little of his calm cool exterior. His heart rate sped up a little bit, but fortunately he was still able to maintain his composure. Slowly he was getting use to her embrace, even if this one was a little more aggressive.

Matsuri was ready to talk about last night; she was tired of waiting so she decided to bring it up, but in a slow subtle way of course. Resting on his shoulder she sighed so she can get his attention.

He looked at her; he knew that sigh she let out wasn't for nothing. It was obvious that she was trying to get his attention and he already knew what was on her mind, "Let me guess… You want to talk about what happened last night?"

The brunette smirked at the way he asked that question, she could tell he didn't desire to talk about it. Still she thought it was sweet that he didn't try and play it off as if he didn't know what she was talking about. Slowly she nodded her head before replying, "Yes that would be nice."

Gaara let out a small sigh of his own to show his lack of enthusiasm. It was clear that he had no desire to discuss this; as far as he was concerned what had happened wasn't in need of discussion._ Why should we have to talk about this? We almost kissed but we didn't so what is there to discuss?_ He asked himself. Ultimately he decided to let her start the discussion since; she was the one who wanted to talk about this in the first place.

"So… what about last night do you wish to discuss?" he asked in confident tone trying to hide how tense he was. With those words she leaned in closer to look into his light green eyes. They were so mesmerizing, not to mention the fact that they change colors. Every time she looked into his eyes she fell into an unbreakable trance, and she couldn't understand why.

He returned her gaze by staring as intensely into her eyes as well. There were many questions Gaara had going through his own head, but he did not wish to speak of them._ He wanted to know why she made him this way and what was the cause of it? Is it her beautiful dark eyes that always seem to make my heart stop? Or is it her soft touch?_ That gives him a warm sensation deep within his core. Then there was her scent, it was that damn peach scent of hers that intoxicated him._ It must be her scent? I need to know what makes her smell that way._

Quickly they both snapped themselves out of their own thoughts. Matsuri shifted her eyes toward her lap so she wouldn't fall under the spell of his gaze again. Nervously she started twiddling her thumbs, before she finally decided to speak.

"Gaara… There are several things I want to talk about," she said in a serious tone.

The red head wasn't shocked by this at all, he might have not known much about emotions but he learned all about females and there unlimited questions from his sister. "Alright Matsuri, you have my undivided attention," he said calmly he removed his arms from around her folding them across his chest and locking his eyes on her.

She smiled when he reassured her he was ready to talk, sad at the absence of his touch. Not wanting to delay this anymore she decided to finally begin.

"First I want to talk about the moment we almost kissed and why you left me standing there looking like an idiot?" she questioned mimicking him with a small glare.

His face turned into a frown as he shifted his eyes away from the girl. He knew it was wrong to just leave her there by herself, but he really didn't know what else to do.

While rubbing his forehead, he started to shake his fore head in shame. "I'm sorry Matsuri I just didn't think it would be the right thing to do." He stated in his usual nonchalant tone, "I shouldn't have left you there that was wrong of me…"

Unfortunately for him she didn't like his answer, Even if it was true she knew there was much more to it than that. There was something else that he was hiding and she wanted to know what it was._ Who does he think he's fooling?_ She thought to herself. She decided not to get too worked up though she wanted to stay as tranquil as possible.

"Well what wasn't right about it Gaara? Because I didn't see anything wrong with what we were doing," she said with a confident smirk on her face as she flipped her hair back to show her spunk.

The Kazekage closed his eyes to relax; he decided that is was no time for him to get worked up. He needed to stay calm and address the situation in a calm appropriate manner.

"You already know why," he stated plainly.

The brunette was irritated by his answer but didn't show it on her face; she just tilted her head and gave him a fake smile. "Fine then let's cut right to it then," she said while propping herself up on the couch a couple inches away from his face.

"So your reason for not wanting to get involved with me is because you're the Kazekage? Well that makes a lot of sense," she said with sarcasm while rolling her eyes.

That wasn't good enough; she knew there was a greater reason for this. She knew he had feelings for her, she just didn't know how to get him to admit it. That was one of the main things she had been trying to figure out since the previous night. The way he was holding her, he was so gentle and caring. Then there was the way he stared at her when he turned her down. He had pain in his eyes, and she could see it as clear as day. _But why won't he admit it?_ She wondered. Are the feeling toward her that of a friendly manner or is it love. For now all she knew was they were some kind of romantic feelings there.

All this thinking was beginning to bug her; there were just too many things she needed to know. She lowered her head while her body slouched, her palm on her forehead to show her irritation as she shook her head slowly.

Meanwhile Gaara was going through something similar, but he was used to being alone with his own thoughts so he had no problem with it.

He sighed before commenting on her statement, "Yes Matsuri, as long as I'm the Sand's Kazekage I can't get involved with you or anyone else for that matter," he said nonchalantly.

Matsuri balled her fists while they rested in her lap. She was quickly beginning to lose her patience with him. Still she kept her cool as she bit down on her lip. "That's bullshit Gaara…" she said in a whisper of anger.

When she said that Gaara's eyes immediately opened; he could see that he upset her.

"We both know that every Kazekage before you had a significant other. They were all married including your father the Fourth!" she said putting emphasis on the last words she said.

Gaara was in shock of the words that just came out of her mouth. Matsuri knew good and well how he felt about his father; he hated the man for what he had put him through. Having Lady Chiyo seal the Shukaku inside of him before he was even born was only one of the sins the Fourth committed against his son. Sacrificing Gaara's mother to turn him into the ultimate weapon was another. Not to mention all the assassins that tried to take his life since he was six years old. The fact that she had the audacity to mention his name so lightly in his presents really irritated him.

Instead of yelling at her though he calmly said "Watch what you say around me… Matsuri."

The brunette frowned then nodded her head with a look of shame on her face. She knew she crossed the line but she couldn't help it, she was slowly becoming overwhelmed. All her emotions were slowly starting to resurface again and she couldn't hold it in any longer it was too much for her to handle. As a woman she has many emotions and feelings, but she has always tried her best to keep herself together. Constantly she was always talking to her best friend Sari about things, but she didn't tell her much about her feelings for Gaara since they were both competing for his affection. Though both of them were competing for the heart of the same guy, Matsuri's feelings were stronger than her friends. Sari's feelings were more on the lines of a crush, while her feelings were much deeper than that. There was a strong chance that she was in love with him but she still wasn't certain if she was or not. All she knew was she had eyes for him and only him.

"I'm sorry Gaara I know I crossed the line but," before she can finished he quickly interrupted her.

"Don't worry about it, there's no need to explain I understand," he said in relaxed way not wanting to dwell on the topic.

With those words Matsuri obeyed and let that topic end. Still there were more things she had on her mind and Gaara didn't forget either. Relaxing on the couch with his arms folded with a look of boredom on his face he opened his mouth to speak.

"So what else is on your mind?" He asked.

She smiled, when she saw that he was still willing to continue their conversation. "Well…" she started to say before getting a little nervous.

He looked at her questioningly, "Well what?"

Matsuri began to rub her shoulder in a cute innocent way. Her cheeks began to turn bright red with the thought of her next question. She smiled bright, because she knew how he would react to her question.

"Well I want to know what you felt last night… You know during our moment."

He unconsciously let out a small yelping sound when he heard her say that._ You got to be kidding me, _he said to himself. He knew this was coming but there was just no proper way to prepare for this. He didn't know what to say or how to explain to her how he felt nor did he wish to. Unfortunately there was really know way around it, he had to at least try to explain.

"Oh well… it felt…different," he answered nervously.

She smiled then rolled her eyes at his discomfort. It always amused her how he got so worked up about these things; it kind of made her wonder how he would react if she brought up sex. That thought made her giggle a little bit so she cuffed her mouth to hide her laughter.

"What do you mean different? Explain."

He scratched his head, trying to think of how he was going to explain this to her. If he told her how he felt then she would definitely insist on them seeing each other. As much as he liked Matsuri he couldn't be with her and not because he was the Kazekage. The fact is he too scared to open up his heart and truly put his trust in another person. Last time he opened up to someone it was his uncle Yashamaru and in the end he tried to kill him at six years old. That very memory still haunts him to this day. Pushing those thoughts aside, he still had to be honest with her and just hope that she wouldn't overreact.

"I felt… very peaceful and warm, it was something I had never felt before," he said in his raspy deep voice. "I never wanted that moment to end, for some reason I felt like holding you the whole night without any interruptions." The words seem to come out of his mouth with ease, it took very little thought. He had rehearsed these feelings in his mind so many times that speaking them was simple…easy.

Matsuri began to blush as a smile appeared on her face. She clasped her hands together anxiously to hear what else he had to say.

"Something about holding you in my arms felt right, and I don't know why," he said in a wondering tone. "When I held you, I felt something I had never felt before…"

Matsuri thought she was about to fall of the couch as she leaned in with anticipation. She was hoping he was going to say that special four letter word that every girl wants to hear._ If he says love I think I'm going to lose it_.

"happy..." he whispered with a small smile on his face. "For once in my life my mind felt clear."

Matsuri grinned at his words; she was delighted to hear that he had some clarity in his life. Even though that wasn't exactly what she was looking for, but the fact that he felt something positive made her happy.

"My whole heart felt like it was free of all the pain and misery. It was the one time I was truly able to feel and understand the true joy in life," he said with a small grin as a thought crossed his mind._ Just like Uzumaki, _he thought to himself. Gaara felt like his eyes had been opened to a new world of feelings and he could only hope to experience them all one day.

"That's great Gaara! So that means you do have feelings for me!" she screamed in excitement as she lunged forward to wrap her arms around him once again. This time he was expecting it so he was able to keep his composure.

"Yes I do but that doesn't mean we can be together."

The brunette frowned releasing her hold on him as she scooted back a couple inches to give him some space. After what she had just heard, she was too happy to be mad. Even if he was saying they couldn't be together, she knew he had feelings for her and that gave her hope. Still she had one more question for her crush. A smile appeared on her face and her cheeks turned bright red as she began to giggle at the thought. Quickly she covered her mouth so he wouldn't notice… but she was too late.

Gaara noticed her giggling and raised an invisible eyebrow._ Why is she laughing?_ He wondered. Interested he decided to ask the strange girl.

"What's so funny?"

She removed her hand from her mouth as her laughter had come to an end. She tried to keep a straight face, but her thoughts were killing her. Slowly she began to calm herself down as she fixed her posture and made a serious face.

"Gaara have you ever kissed a girl before?" She asked with a small blush on her face.

Once again the Kazekage began to feel uncomfortable, his cheeks a slight crimson red with embarrassment. She had totally caught him off guard with that question. Usually he could read Matsuri pretty well but he never saw this coming not in a million years. His heart was beating at a shockingly fast pace, and he was breathing was beginning to labor.

"Uhh I… I…haven't really…" he stuttered not able to form a proper sentence.

The teenage genin noticed this and sighed. Just by his reaction to her question, she could tell he had never kissed anyone. With that she decided to take a more gentle approach. She leaned in towards him to give him another hug.

"It's alright Gaara… sorry if I made you uncomfortable," she said rubbing her hand up and down his back the same way he did to her the night before. While rubbing his back, she began to snuggling her head in his neck.

Surprisingly enough her embrace was soothing to him, her touch made him feel calm and at peace. As he began to regain control of his body he started to feel embarrassed once again. He never worried about these things, but he had to admit even for a guy like him it was embarrassing. To be 16 and never have kissed a girl, but he was Gaara, an entity people naturally avoided. Once he felt completely at eased he backed away from her embrace to say something.

"Matsuri to answer your question…no," he said as calmly as possible.

He even though he wasn't that kind of guy who was all love sick or into romance deep down he could feel himself wishing he had a first kiss.

She smiled at his declaration and was happy that he was being honest with her even though she had already figured that out. She also had a secret of her own to share.

"You know Gaara… I've been kissed on the cheek before… but never on the lips," she said with a smirk as she scooted closer to him.

The red head calmly replied "Is that so?"

He knew she was up to something, he just didn't know what. Sadly he was always oblivious to things like this. But for Matsuri that was good thing because it meant he didn't have a clue on what her true intentions were.

"Unfortunately yeah it's true," she said in a flirting tone. With each second she kept getting closer to him. She stopped when she felt she was close enough to ask him a question. She smiled brightly with her eyes closed making her look a bit deceitful. Her head was tilted to the side.

"Gaara can you do me favor and close your eyes I want to see something."

He froze unsure of what she wanted, "Why?" he asked carefully.

The brunette began to pout, which she always did when he didn't let her get her way.

"It will only be for a second I promise," she reassured him batting her eyes.

The red head smirked at her behavior. It was the cutest thing to hear her act a little childish; in the end he'd always end up giving in and this time would be no different. Especially the way she was looking so cute and innocent in those pajamas of hers.

He sighed and shut his eyes.

Relaxing in his seat he reclined his back against the back of the couch. He then folded his arms like usual.

_I wonder why she wants to close my eyes I don't get it. I don't even know why I agreed to this she's probably going to do something to irritate me. Every time she pouts I give in… I don't understand! No one has ever been able to do that to me let alone a woman. I say no then she makes that cute face, and I can't help but give her anything she wants. Damn it this is really beginning to bother me. Damn woman! Why can't-_

Before he could finish his thoughts he felt something soft and warm pressed up against his lips. It felt good, and he already figured out what was going on. _She's…she's kissing me…_he was caught off guard by this predicament but he had to admit he enjoyed it. To verify that he was indeed correct he reopened his eyes.

Matsuri's body was practically on top of him. She had positioned herself so that both of her arms were on either side of his head and her feet were keeping her suspended above him. She released the kiss a few seconds later staring at him hoping for approval. He paid her look no mind as he gently grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to him. She smile grew wider since she wasn't being rejected. Her arms slid slowly off the back of the couch and rested lightly on his shoulders.

They were both frozen in place just staring at one another when her hand traced down his arm to grab his hand. She brought it up to her cheek and leaning her head into his strong hand and kissed the palm. Gaara's response was instantaneous; his hand unconsciously hooked around her head and brought her forward slowly. She smiled anticipating another kiss and it was given to her.

Only this time Gaara took control. It started sweet and innocent as hers had been but it quickly developed when he parted his lips slightly to take more of her. Matsuri used that opportunity to lightly insert her tongue into his mouth which made him freeze.

She withdrew quickly, "I'm sorry."

She watched his chest rise and fall as she looked down her hands behind her neck. Gaara stared at her in mild shock then touched his own lips with his hand. Matsuri stayed straddled on his lap for another few second before he broke the silence.

"It's late and you need to get some rest," he said in his deep voice sending chills down her spine.

_Damn she's so beautiful…it's a shame we can never be._ He rubbed his hand across her delicate face in a comforting manner.

Matsuri wanted to complain but she knew he was right it was already 2 a.m. and she had to meet up with Sari and Ittetsu to go there mission. "Damn," she whispered to herself.

She sighed and said "Okay… but I want to sleep here with you?"

He stared at her for a moment before nodding. Matsuri jumped off his lap and walked into her bedroom. Gaara froze for a minute wondering if she wanted him to follow so he stood up and waited. Matsuri noticed his nervous stance when she walked back out with a large blanket and two small sized pillows.

"May I use your bathroom?" he asked.

"Sure, just through the bedroom on the left," she replied smiling.

He nodded. While walking through her room he took in the pristine clean appearance. Everything was folded nicely and in its proper place. When he returned Matsuri had laid out the blanket and placed the two pillows next to each other. She was already under the covers and beckoned for him to join her. He complied slightly nervous at what the intimate position they would be in. Once he settled in thought Matsuri grabbed his right arm and threw it around her waist as she snuggled against his chest.

"Goodnight Gaara," she whispered as her eyes closed and she wondered off to sleep.

He smiled then and watched as sleep consumed her then put his head down closer to her ear and whispered, "Goodnight my desert flower."

He slowly stood up making sure not to jostle her then left quietly to head back home.

**To be continued **

Interesting ending... It seems the teacher and student are getting much closer. Gaara and Matsuri finally had there special moment together that they should of had earlier.

The next chapter, I'm probably going to have a small time skip to get this story moving at a quicker pace. Until next time... stay tuned!


End file.
